| Abstract |
The Modular Multiplatform Compatible Air Measurement System (MoMuCAMS) is a newly developed in situ aerosol and trace gas measurement platform for lower-atmospheric vertical profiling. MoMuCAMS has been primarily designed to be attached to a Helikite, a rugged tethered balloon type that is suitable for operations in cold and windy conditions. The system addresses the need for detailed vertical observations of atmospheric composition in the boundary layer and lower free troposphere, especially in polar and alpine regions. The MoMuCAMS encompasses a box that houses instrumentation, a heated inlet, a single-board computer to transmit data to the ground for in-flight decisions and a power distribution system. The enclosure can accommodate various combinations of instruments within its weight limit (e.g., 20 kg for a 45 m 3 balloon). This flexibility represents a unique feature, allowing for the study of multiple aerosol properties (number concentration, size distribution, optical properties, chemical composition and morphology), as well as trace gases (e.g., CO, CO 2 , O 3 , N 2 O) and meteorological variables (e.g., wind speed and direction, temperature, relative humidity, pressure). Different instrumental combinations are therefore possible to address the specific scientific focus of the observations. It is the first tethered-balloon-based system equipped with instrumentation providing a size distribution for aerosol particles within a large range, i.e., from 8 to 3370 nm, which is vital to understanding atmospheric processes of aerosols and their climate impacts through interaction with radiation and clouds. Here we present a characterization of the specifically developed inlet system and previously unreported instruments, most notably the miniaturized scanning electrical mobility spectrometer and a near-infrared carbon monoxide monitor. As of December 2022, MoMuCAMS has been tested during two field campaigns in the Swiss Alps in winter and fall 2021. It was further deployed in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, in ...
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