MACL
 MACL deployed at the University of Michigan Biological Station during CABINEX, 2009. |
The MACL trailer houses a suite of instruments for field research on atmospheric aerosols. This mobile laboratory allows simultaneous measurements of gas phase species, particulate phase chemical and physical properties, and boundary layer dynamics in an integrated approach for aerosol studies. The major research instruments are an aerosol LIDAR to measure vertical profiles of aerosols and clouds, a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer to measure particle size distributions, a Particle in Liquid Sampler/Ion Chromatograph for collection and chemical analysis of water-soluble ionic components, and a Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer for the quantification of gas phase precursors of ozone and aerosols. [learn more] |
The mobile laboratory will be used in field experiments
to study the relationship between precursor gases,
their chemical transformations, and the resulting
impacts on atmospheric oxidants and aerosols. These
measurements address questions relevant to global
climate change, feedback mechanisms between the
biosphere and atmosphere, regional atmospheric
chemistry, and impacts of the deposition of
anthropogenic emissions and photoproducts on ecosystem
health.
The mobile laboratory will provide critical infrastructure for field research projects at Washington State University related to the impact of biogenic, urban, and agricultural emissions. The resulting data will support a detailed description of atmospheric dynamics and chemistry for comparison with chemical transport models of oxidants and particulate matter. The laboratory will be used for the education and training of undergraduate and graduate students, and should also help with student recruitment.