Detection and quantification of water-based aerosols using active open-path FTIR

Aerosols have a leading role in many eco-systems and knowledge of their properties is critical for many applications. This study suggests using active Open-Path Fourier Transform Infra-Red (OP-FTIR) spectroscopy for quantifying water droplets and solutes load in the atmosphere. The OP-FTIR was used to measure water droplets, with and without solutes, in a 20 m spray tunnel. Three sets of spraying experiments generated different hydrosols clouds: (1) tap water only, (2) aqueous ammonium sulfate (0.25-3.6%wt) and (3) aqueous ethylene glycol (0.47-2.38%wt). Experiment (1) yielded a linear relationship between the shift of the extinction spectrum baseline and the water load in the line-of-sight (LOS) (R² = 0.984). Experiment (2) also yielded a linear relationship between the integrated extinction in the range of 880-1150 cm^-1 and the ammonium sulfate load in the LOS (R² = 0.972). For the semi-volatile ethylene glycol (experiment 3), present in the gas and condense phases, quantification was much more complex and two spectral approaches were developed: (1) according to the linear relationship from the first experiment (determination error of 8%), and (2) inverse modeling (determination error of 57%). This work demonstrates the potential of the OP-FTIR for detecting clouds of water-based aerosols and for quantifying water droplets and solutes at relatively low concentrations.