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April 30 (UPI) – The researchers originally designed the ROZE instrument to detect hydroxyl, which rids the atmosphere of methane. But tests have shown that the instrument is surprisingly good for measuring ambient levels of ozone – better than the best ozone detectors on the market.
"When we started this development effort, ozone was the furthest thing from our minds," NASA research scientist Tom Hanisco said in a press release.
In his attempts to track the hydroxyl levels, Hanisco used a technique called Gas Filter Correlation Spectroscopy, which involves filtering the wavelengths that interact with – or are absorbed by – the filter. ; hydroxyl.
An air leak in the cavity of the device, which scientists had intended to fill with hydroxyl, was causing technical difficulties. Instead of producing hydroxyl, the instrument was producing ozone.
"The ozone interfered, but we did some quick calculations to determine the amount of ozone we could see.In the end, the instrument was hypersensitive to this molecule," Hanisco said. .
When Hanisco and its research partners conducted tests, they determined that the renowned Rapid Ozone Experiment instrument was 100 times more accurate than the best ozone detection devices.
In the stratosphere, ozone is essential. The molecule blocks the ultraviolet rays. Closer to the surface of the Earth, in the troposphere, ozone is a pollutant. Its presence aggravates the respiratory diseases responsible for thousands of deaths each year.
Ozone is produced in the troposphere when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants and other industrial sources react with nitrogen oxides in the presence of sunlight.
Hanisco expects the new ozone measurement technology to be used to measure the precise movements of ozone, in order to more accurately estimate the ozone balance. from the lower atmosphere.
"The EPA has models that can predict the amount of ozone that will form," said NASA scientist Reem Hannun. "But these models do not really know how fast it is deposited.If we do not know the rate, we can not accurately model how ozone moves from one area to the next. other, or how long it will stay once formed. "
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