EAGER: Feasibility of Shipboard Eddy Covariance Measurements Using PTR-TOFMS

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This EAGER project will provide an assessment of the potential use of a high resolution proton transfer time of flight mass spectrometer (PTR-TOFMS) for eddy covariance air/sea gas flux measurements. The composition and rates of emissions of volatile organic compounds from the sea surface are poorly known, which is in large part due to the lack of suitable instrumentation for measuring such fluxes. The PTR-TOFMS will be deployed under field conditions aboard the R/V Knorr in the North Atlantic Ocean. If successful, this will demonstrate the viability of the approach to future field programs. The project may also result in the first broad-spectrum analysis of fluxes of volatile organic compounds emanating from a highly productive oceanic region. This could provide access to new tracers for air/sea gas exchange and insight into the precursors of secondary marine organic aerosols. This project will provide support for a post-doctoral researcher, as well as involve at least one undergraduate student who is participating in the institution's REU site program.