First-year sea-ice contact predicts bromine monoxide (BrO) levels better than potential frost flower contact

International audienceReactive halogens are responsible for boundary-layer ozone depletion and mercury deposition in Polar Regions during springtime. To investigate the source of reactive halogens in the air arriving at Barrow, Alaska, we measured BrO, a marker of reactive halogen chemistry, and correlated its abundance with airmass histories derived from meteorological back trajectories and remotely sensed sea ice properties. The BrO is found to be positively correlated to first-year sea-ice contact (R2=0.55), and weakly negatively correlated to potential frost flower (PFF) contact (R2=0.04). These data indicate that snow contaminated with sea salts on first-year sea ice is a more probable bromine source than are frost flowers. Recent climate-driven changes in Arctic sea ice are likely to alter frost flower and first year sea ice prevalence, suggesting a significant change in reactive halogen abundance, which will alter the chemistry of the overlying Arctic atmosphere

The mechanism of halogen liberation in the polar troposphere

International audienceSudden depletions of tropospheric ozone during spring were reported from the Arctic and also from Antarctic coastal sites. Field studies showed that those depletion events are caused by reactive halogen species, especially bromine compounds. However the source and seasonal variation of reactive halogen species is still not completely understood. There are several indications that the halogen mobilisation from the sea ice surface of the polar oceans may be the most important source for the necessary halogens. Here we present a 1-D model study aimed at determining the primary source of reactive halogens. The model includes gas phase and heterogeneous bromine and chlorine chemistry as well as vertical transport between the surface and the top of the boundary layer. The autocatalytic Br release by photochemical processes (bromine explosion) and subsequent rapid bromine catalysed ozone depletion is well reproduced in the model and the major source of reactive bromine appears to be the sea ice surface. The sea salt aerosol alone is not sufficient to yield the high levels of reactive bromine in the gas phase necessary for fast ozone depletion. However, the aerosol efficiently 'recycles' less reactive bromine species (e.g. HBr) and feeds them back into the ozone destruction cycle. Isolation of the boundary layer air from the free troposphere by a strong temperature inversion was found to be critical for boundary layer ozone depletion to happen. The combination of strong surface inversions and presence of sunlight occurs only during polar spring

Multi axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS)

Multi Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) in the atmosphere is a novel measurement technique that represents a significant advance on the well-established zenith scattered sunlight DOAS instruments which are mainly sensitive to stratospheric absorbers. MAX-DOAS utilizes scattered sunlight received from multiple viewing directions. The spatial distribution of various trace gases close to the instrument can be derived by combining several viewing directions. Ground based MAX-DOAS is highly sensitive to absorbers in the lowest few kilometres of the atmosphere and vertical profile information can be retrieved by combining the measurements with Radiative Transfer Model (RTM) calculations. The potential of the technique for a wide variety of studies of tropospheric trace species and its (few) limitations are discussed. A Monte Carlo RTM is applied to calculate Airmass Factors (AMF) for the various viewing geometries of MAX-DOAS. Airmass Factors can be used to quantify the light path length within the absorber layers. The airmass factor dependencies on the viewing direction and the influence of several parameters (trace gas profile, ground albedo, aerosol profile and type, solar zenith and azimuth angles) are investigated. In addition we give a brief description of the instrumental MAX-DOAS systems realised and deployed so far. The results of the RTM studies are compared to several examples of recent MAX-DOAS field experiments and an outlook for future possible applications is given

Multi axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS)

International audienceMulti Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) in the atmosphere is a novel measurement technique that represents a significant advance on the well-established zenith scattered sunlight DOAS instruments which are mainly sensitive to stratospheric absorbers. MAX-DOAS utilizes scattered sunlight received from multiple viewing directions. The spatial distribution of various trace gases close to the instrument can be derived by combining several viewing directions. Ground based MAX-DOAS is highly sensitive to absorbers in the lowest few kilometres of the atmosphere and vertical profile information can be retrieved by combining the measurements with Radiative Transfer Model (RTM) calculations. The potential of the technique for a wide variety of studies of tropospheric trace species and its (few) limitations are discussed. A Monte Carlo RTM is applied to calculate Airmass Factors (AMF) for the various viewing geometries of MAX-DOAS. Airmass Factors can be used to quantify the light path length within the absorber layers. The airmass factor dependencies on the viewing direction and the influence of several parameters (trace gas profile, ground albedo, aerosol profile and type, solar zenith and azimuth angles) are investigated. In addition we give a brief description of the instrumental MAX-DOAS systems realised and deployed so far. The results of the RTM studies are compared to several examples of recent MAX-DOAS field experiments and an outlook for future possible applications is given

Optically-pumped saturable absorber for fast switching between continuous-wave and passively mode-locked regimes of a Nd:YVO4 laser

We report on the fast (~50 μs) remote-controlled switching between continuous-wave (cw), cw mode-locked (ML) and Q-switched ML modes of operation of a Nd:YVO4 laser using an optically-pumped saturable absorber (SA). Pulses as short as 40 ps with an average output power of 0.5 W are obtained in cw ML regime

Reactive and organic halogen species in three different European coastal environments

International audienceWe present results of three field campaigns using active longpath DOAS (Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) for the study of reactive halogen species (RHS) BrO, IO, OIO and I2. Two recent field campaigns took place in Spring 2002 in Dagebüll at the German North Sea Coast and in Spring 2003 in Lilia at the French Atlantic Coast of Brittany. In addition, data from a campaign in Mace Head, Ireland in 1998 was re-evaluated. During these field campaigns volatile halogenated organic compounds (VHOCs) were determined by GC/ECD-ICPMS in air and water. Due to the spatial distribution of macroalgae at the German North Sea Coast we found a clear connection between elevated levels of VHOCs and the appearance of macroalgae. Extraordinarily high concentrations of several VHOCs, especially CH3I and CH3Br of up to 1830 pptv and 875 pptv, respectively, were observed at the coast of Brittany, demonstrating the outstanding level of bioactivity there. We found CH2I2 at levels of up to 20 pptv, and a clear anti-correlation with the appearance of IO. The IO mixing ratio reached up to 7.7±0.5 ppt(pmol/mol) during the day, in reasonable agreement with model studies designed to represent the meteorological and chemical conditions in Brittany. For the two campaigns the DOAS spectra were evaluated for BrO, OIO and I2, but none of these species could be clearly identified (detection limits around 2 ppt, 3 ppt, 20 ppt, resp.). Only in the Mace Head spectra evidence was found for the presence of OIO. Since macroalgae under oxidative stress are suggested to be a further source for I2 in the marine boundary layer, we re-analyzed spectra in the 500?600 nm range taken during the 1998 PARFORCE campaign in Mace Head, Ireland, which had not previously been analyzed for I2. We identified molecular iodine above the detection limit (~20 ppt), with peak concentrations of 61±12 ppt. Since I2 was undetectable during the Brittany campaign, we suggest that iodine may not be released into the atmosphere by macroalgae in general, but only by a special type of the laminaria species under oxidative stress. Only during periods of extraordinarily low water (spring-tide), is the plant exposed to ambient air and may release gaseous iodine in some way to the atmosphere. The result of our re-analysis of spectra from the PARFORCE campaign in 1998 support this theory. Hence, we feel that we can provide an explanation for the different I2 levels in Brittany and Mace Head

Soliton Generation and Picosecond Collapse in Solid-State Lasers with Semiconductor Saturable Absorber

Based on self - consistent field theory we study a soliton generation in cw solid-state lasers with semiconductor saturable absorber. Various soliton destabilizations, i.e. the switch from femtosecond to picosecond generation (''picosecond collapse''), an automodulation regime, breakdown of soliton generation and hysteresis behavior, are predicted.Comment: 14 pages, 6 Postscript figures, Te

Ultrashort pulse laser cutting of glass by controlled fracture propagation

International audienceLaser induced controlled fracture propagation has great potential in cutting brittle materials such as glass or sapphire. In this paper we demonstrate that the use of ultrashort pulse laser sources may be advantageous since it allows to overcome several restrictions of the convenient method

175 GHz, 400-fs-pulse harmonically mode-locked surface emitting semiconductor laser

We report a harmonically mode-locked vertical external cavity surface emitting laser (VECSEL) producing 400 fs pulses at a repetition frequency of 175 GHz with an average output power of 300 mW. Harmonic mode-locking was established using a 300 µm thick intracavity single crystal diamond heat spreader in thermal contact with the front surface of the gain sample using liquid capillary bonding. The repetition frequency was set by the diamond microcavity and stable harmonic mode locking was achieved when the laser cavity length was tuned so that the laser operated on the 117th harmonic of the fundamental cavity. When an etalon placed intracavity next to the gain sample, but not in thermal contact was used pulse groups were observed. These contained 300 fs pulses with a spacing of 5.9 ps. We conclude that to achieve stable harmonic mode locking at repetition frequencies in the 100s of GHz range in a VECSEL there is a threshold pulse energy above which harmonic mode locking is achieved and below which groups of pulses are observed

Quinoa Phenotyping Methodologies: An International Consensus

Quinoa is a crop originating in the Andes but grown more widely and with the genetic potential for significant further expansion. Due to the phenotypic plasticity of quinoa, varieties need to be assessed across years and multiple locations. To improve comparability among field trials across the globe and to facilitate collaborations, components of the trials need to be kept consistent, including the type and methods of data collected. Here, an internationally open-access framework for phenotyping a wide range of quinoa features is proposed to facilitate the systematic agronomic, physiological and genetic characterization of quinoa for crop adaptation and improvement. Mature plant phenotyping is a central aspect of this paper, including detailed descriptions and the provision of phenotyping cards to facilitate consistency in data collection. High-throughput methods for multi-temporal phenotyping based on remote sensing technologies are described. Tools for higher throughput post-harvest phenotyping of seeds are presented. A guideline for approaching quinoa field trials including the collection of environmental data and designing layouts with statistical robustness is suggested. To move towards developing resources for quinoa in line with major cereal crops, a database was created. The Quinoa Germinate Platform will serve as a central repository of data for quinoa researchers globally