A fast response, open flow, integrating nephelometer for fine scale measurements of aerosol and cloud particles

An integrating nephelometer is proposed that can be deployed on a variety of platforms including powered aircraft and towed vehicles. The design allows air to pass freely through the sample cell with no restrictions. A sampling rate of up to 100 hz will allow for aerosol flux measurements. The light scattering coefficient will be measured at multiple wavelengths to provide angstrom coefficients allowing for estimation of the average concentration and size of the atmospheric particles. The phase I objective will be to build a prototype unit that demonstrates the concept and evaluates the measurement sensitivity as a function of the design parameters. The simplicity of this instrument will lend itself to deployment on aircraft towed sondes for particle flux or fog visibility measurements near the ocean surface. The light weight and low power consumption of the instrument also make feasible for use on UAVs.