Determining Aerosol Radiative Properties Using the TSI 3563 Integrating Nephelometer

Abstract

Methods for reducing and quantifying the uncertainties in aerosol optical properties measured with the TSI 3563 integrating nephelometer are presented. For nearly all applications, the recommended calibration gases are air and CO2. By routinely characterizing the instrumental response to these gases, a diagnostic record of instrument performance can be created. This record can be used to improve measurement accuracy and quantify uncertainties due to instrumental noise and calibration drift. When measuring scattering by particles, size segregation upstream of the nephelometer at about 1 μm aerodynamic diameter greatly increases the information content of the data for two reasons: one stemming from the independence of coarse and fine particles in the atmosphere, and the second stemming from the size dependence of the nephelometer response. For many applications (e.g., extinction budget studies) it is important to correct nephelometer data for the effects of angular nonidealities. Correction factors appropriate to a broad range of sampling conditions are given herein and are shown to be constrained by the wavelength dependence of light scattering, as measured by the nephelometer. Finally, the nephelometer measurement is nondestructive, such that the sampled aerosol can be further analyzed downstream. Data from two nephelometers operated in series are used to evaluate this procedure. A small loss of super-μm particles (5–10%) is found, while the sub-μm data demonstrates measurement reproducibility within ± 1%.