LOWER TROPOSPHERIC OZONE MEASUREMENTS BY LIGHT AIRCRAFT EQUIPPED WITHCHEMILUMINESCENT SONDE

Novel use of a commercial, battery-powered, chemiluminescent ozonesond e on a light aircraft is described. This fast-response instrument, ori ginally designed for balloon deployment into the stratosphere, is ligh t, inexpensive. robust (reuseable), reliable, and accurate. Integratio n with other lightweight components (data logger, global positioning s ystem, pressure, temperature, and humidity sensors) renders the system suitable for use in a light (rental) aircraft with no modification of the aircraft required. The system is well suited to routine reconnais sance and vertical profiling in regions af complex terrain, and with w ell-designed field studies, mass budget analyses are feasible. The app lication and validation of the system is described for the Lower Frase r Valley, British Columbia, a region of complex coastal terrain where photochemical smog is a significant problem in the summer months.