An intercomparison of airborne nitric oxide measurements - A second opportunity
Results are reported from a comparison of three tropospheric NO measurement instruments during the NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment Chemical Instrumentation Test and Evaluation 2 (CITE 2) in summer 1986. The instruments tested were those used in CITE 1 (Hoell et al., 1987): a two-photon LIF system and two chemiluminescence systems. It is found that the mixing ratios obtained with the three systems agreed to within 15-20 parts per trillion volume (pptv) for sampling perods of 1-6 min at mixing ratios less than 20 pptv; the average difference between pairs of measurements was 5-7 pptv, which is considered to be the uncertainty in state-of-the-art ambient NO measurements.