Methane and water are important trace gases in the stratosphere and by discussing their sources, sinks, chemistry and transport a case will be made for improved measurements in the lower stratosphere and upper troposphere. Various methods of measuring water vapour and methane will be described and a novel technique for measuring combustable hydrocarbons and hydrogen will be introduced. It will be demonstrated that methane and hydrogen can be catalytically oxidising into a stoiciometric amount of water vapour which can then be measured using a frost point hygrometer. The catalyst will need to be kept at ~450°C to get 100% oxidation of the available methane. The experiment results will be complimented with modelling of the oxidation process in the reactor. A laboratory instrument with suitable characteristics to form the basis of a balloon sondé will be presented as will a prototype balloon instrument.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:604052 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Hill, J. G. T. |
| Publisher | University of Cambridge |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
Page generated in 0.0015 seconds