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Lightweight, High-Precision Instrument for Balloon Sonde CO₂ Measurements—Los Gatos Research, 67 East Evelyn Avenue, Suite 3, Mountain View, CA  94041; 650-965-7772, www.lgrinc.com 

Dr. Douglas S. Baer, Principal Investigator, d.baer@lgrinc.com

Ms. Anthony O'Keefe, Business Official, a.okeefe@lgrinc.com

DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-06ER84419

Amount:  $99,963 

More accurate determination of CO₂ in the atmosphere is required to reliably quantify the sources and sinks of carbon in the environment.  However, current CO₂ analytical instrumentation is relatively large and heavy, and requires significant amounts of electrical power to operate.  As a result, in situ CO₂ measurements must be recorded on weight-bearing vehicles (e.g., aircraft) that fly infrequently, thereby limiting the spatial and temporal resolution.  This project will develop, test, and deploy a compact, inexpensive, low-power CO₂ sensor (weight < 100 grams) capable of measuring CO₂ while onboard balloon sondes over extended periods.  The approach will be based on absorption spectroscopy techniques, which are capable of measuring CO₂ with an uncertainty of less than 1 ppmv in the troposphere and tropopause.  In Phase I, the CO₂ sensor will be built; its durability and ruggedness will be tested over a range of temperatures, humidities, and pressures to simulate balloon conditions; its precision will be quantified using NIST-traceable standard gas mixtures; and an advanced prototype device for Phase II will be designed.  The instrument will weigh about 100 grams and operate on a 9-volt battery.

Commercial Applications And Other Benefits as described by the awardee:  The instrument should find commercial applications in atmospheric studies of carbon sources and sinks, industrial process control (chemical and petrochemical refineries), and pollution detection.