Articles | Volume 6, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-6-1181-2006
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-6-1181-2006
18 Apr 2006
18 Apr 2006

An improved inlet for precisely measuring the atmospheric Ar/N2 ratio

T. W. Blaine, R. F. Keeling, and W. J. Paplawsky

Abstract. The atmospheric Ar/N2 ratio is expected to be useful as a tracer of air-sea heat exchange, but this application has been hindered in part due to sampling artifacts. Here we show that the variability in δ(Ar/N2) due to thermal fractionation at the inlet can be on the order of 40-80 per meg, and we introduce the use of an aspirated solar shield that successfully minimizes such fractionation. The data collected using this new inlet have a mean diurnal cycle of 1.0 per meg or less, suggesting that any residual thermal fractionation effect is reduced to this level.

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