Measurement of ambient NH₃ over Bay of Bengal during W_ICARB Campaign
Place of publication
Ann. Geophys., 30, 371–377, 2012
Field
Atmospheric research
Keywords
Atmospheric composition and structure (General or miscellaneous)
Instruments used for NO, NO₂ and O₃ measurements
ECO PHYSICS CLD 88 p combined with ECO PHYISCS PLC 860
Instruments used for NH₃ mesasurements
ECO PHYSICS CLD 88 CYp
Abstract
Concentrations of ambient NH3, NO, NO2 and SO2 were measured over Bay of Bengal (BoB) during 28 December 2008 to 25 January 2009 to study their diurnal variation and relationship of NH3 with other trace gases over BoB. The measurements were done under the winter phase of Integrated Campaign on Aerosols and Radiation Budget (W_ICARB). For the first time, ambient NH3 was monitored precisely over BoB based on chemiluminescence method, having estimation efficiency more precise than the chemical trap method. The average concentration of ambient NH3, NO, NO2 and SO2 were recorded as 4.78 ± 1.68, 1.89 ± 1.26, 0.31 ± 0.14 and 0.80 ± 0.30 μg m−3, respectively, over BoB. The prominent latitudinal and longitudinal variations of the trace gases were observed over BoB, whereas NH3 and NO showed the non-significant diurnal variation. Results reveal that the concentration of ambient NH3 negatively correlated with ambient NO2 (r2= −0.56), SO2 (r2 = −0.58) and ambient temperature (r2= −0.27) during the study.