Verdrillt

(VERtical Distribution of Radicals In the Lower Layers of the Troposphere)

• Flight hours funded by EUFAR in 2010.
• Aircraft: INTA - CASA 212 AR

Scientific objectives

The project aims at the investigation of the significance of the cover of vegetation in the distribution of oxidants in the lower troposphere. VERDRILLT focuses on vertical distribution of peroxy radicals in the lower layers of the troposphere under the influence of organic emissions of biogenic and anthropogenic origin.Three flight tracks, amounting to a total of 10h 40min flight time, were performed during VERDRILLT within the measurement campaign taking place from the 23.08 to 28.08.2010. Roughly, it was intended to follow some pathways for the horizontal transport of pollutants from the coast to the interior of the Iberian Peninsula.

The flight tracks start and end in Madrid leading to the Mediterranean and to the Cantabrian coasts respectively where the sea-breeze regimes dominate.Apart from coordinating and leading the project, TROLAS participated with the airborne in situ measurements of the total sum of peroxy radicals by using a DUALER (DUAL channel chemical amplifiER).

In addition NO2 was measured by a prototype of a detector based on cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy. In addition to the CO, O3 and NO/NOx available on board of the INTA-CASA 212 AR, airborne measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and HCHO were taken in cooperation with the Department of Atmospheric Physics of the University of Wuppertal and the Institute for Atmospheric Physics of the DLR .

Information about surface emissions will be obtained by emission inventories and existing measurement networks for the measurement of VOCs in cooperation with CEAM: Centro de Estudios del Mediterráneo and the Universidad del Pais Vasco (UPV-EHU) . Furthermore, during the flight period CEAM performed ground based measurements of VOC at two sampling places in Castellón (Cirat and Ermita), and the UPV-EHU continuous measurements of VOC in the measurement site at the Parque natural de Valderejo in Northern Spain, to enhance the interpretation of results.

Partners

• University of Wuppertal-Germany,
• DLR- Germany,
• CEAM-Spain,
• Universidad del Pais Vasco-Spain,
• INTA- Spain.