ALMA: Balloon borne aerosol counter for volcanic plumes
- Paper ID
74931
- author
- company
Luleå University of Technology; Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP)
- country
Sweden
- year
2023
- abstract
Project ALMA (Atmospheric Laser Measurements of Aerosols) is part of the student projects at Luleå University of Technology (LTU), Sweden with the main purpose of developing student atmospheric research in the Norrbotten area. The idea for the project came after the \textit{Cumbre Vieja} volcano eruption on the Spanish island of La Palma in September 2021. Volcanic activity is a natural event that alters the chemical composition of the atmosphere by directly emitting trace elements into it. It has been established that such activity has an effect on the atmosphere above the area where the eruption occurred. However, it is unclear how these effects will be felt globally and at what scales these events will have an impact on Earth's climate. Satellite data (Sentinel-2 and Landsat) indicate the presence of \ce{SO2} traces from volcanic activity in the polar atmosphere over Scandinavia. The goal of this experiment is to detect aerosols deposited by global volcanic eruptions over the Norrbotten region of Sweden.\\ Finding a correlation between the density, size, and composition of aerosols in the atmosphere and global volcanic activity, as well as studying the change in ozone amount generated by such activity, are among the scientific goals. To collect data, the experiment employs two distinct methods. Firstly, an Open Source particle counter (OSAC) will be developed and implemented. This technical goal will allow for the deployment of a base instrument for future balloon-borne missions. Secondly, a commercially available ozonesonde instrument will be used.\\ This project is being developed and tested as part of the German-Swedish student programme \textit{REXUS/BEXUS} by students of LTU at Kiruna Space Campus. As such, ALMA will be launching on-board \textit{BEXUS 33} in October 2023. The simultaneous acquisition of the two instruments during the ascending phase of the balloon will be used to create two vertical profiles. This way, the obtained measurements of each instrument will be analysed and compared to each other. The results will also be compared with data from previous experiments and atmospheric satellite measurements of the same region, such as data from Sentinel 5P. The performance of the system will be published on an open-source basis. This will ensure the availability and customization of ALMA for future balloon-borne missions, especially student and other low-cost research projects.\\