Development of multi-channel whole-air sampling equipment onboard unmanned aerial vehicle for investigating VOCs vertical distribution in the planetary boundary layer

Abstract. To achieve near-continuous vertical observations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the planetary boundary layer (PBL), multi-channel whole-air sampling equipment onboard an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platform was developed in this study. The equipment consists of a multi-position solenoid valve and specially designed lightweight quartz sampling canisters. The canisters have little adsorption loss of VOCs and good inter-canister reproducibility. The 7-day recovery test shows that most VOC species (97 %) had a one-week decay within 20 %. Online instruments for measuring O3, NO2, CO, SO2, and meteorological parameters are also integrated into the UAV platform. During one take-off and landing, the UAV platform can reach 800 m above the ground within 40 min and take whole-air samples at six heights. Vertical profiles of VOCs and trace gases during the evolution of the PBL in southwest China are successfully obtained by deploying the newly developed UAV system.