A SENSITIVE, RAPID RESPONSE MONITOR FOR ATMOSPHERIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS

A NEW DETECTOR IS UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR THE MEASUREMENT OFATMOSPHERIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS BASED ON FORMATION OF SULFUR MONOXIDE WITH SUBSEQUENT DETECTION BY OZONE-INDUCED CHEMILUMINESCENCE. THIS NOVEL DETECTION SCHEME FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF GASEOUS SULFUR COMPOUNDS SHOULD OFFER MANY ADVANTAGES OVER EXISTING TECHNIQUES, INCLUDING HIGH SENSITIVITY (BETTER THAN ONE PART-PER-BILLION BY VOLUME), RAPID RESPONSE TIME ( 1 SEC), AND HIGH SELECTIVITY FOR SULFUR COMPOUNDS VERSUS OTHER ATMOSPHERIC CONSTITUENTS. THE DETECTOR CAN BE OPERATED AS A TOTAL GAS-PHASE SULFUR DETECTOR, AS A DETECTOR FOR TOTAL REDUCED SULFUR COMPOUNDS USING AN SO(2) SCRUBBER, OR AS A DETECTOR FOR QUANTIFICATIONOF INDIVIDUAL SULFUR SPECIES WHEN COUPLED WITH A GAS CHROMATOGRAPH. THE RAPID RESPONSE TIMES OF THE DETECTOR, WHEN OPERATED IN THE TOTAL ATMOSPHERIC SULFUR OR TOTAL REDUCED SULFUR MODE, SHOULD PROVE VALUABLE IN THE STUDY OF LONG-RANGE DISPERSION OF SULFUR GASES, SHORT-RANGE DISPERSION OVER COMPLEX TERRAIN, AND IN THE MEASUREMENT OF SULFUR FLUXES BY THE EDDY CORRELATION TECHNIQUE.