Status: this preprint was under review for the journal ACP but the revision was not accepted.
n-Aldehydes (C6–C10) in snow samples collected at the high alpine research station Jungfraujoch during CLACE 5
K. Sieg,E. Starokozhev,E. Fries,S. Sala,and W. Püttmann
K. Sieg
Institute of Atmospheric and Environmental Science, Dept. of Analytical Environmental Chemistry, J. W. Goethe-University Frankfurt/Main, Germany
E. Starokozhev
Institute of Atmospheric and Environmental Science, Dept. of Analytical Environmental Chemistry, J. W. Goethe-University Frankfurt/Main, Germany
E. Fries
Institute of Environmental Systems Research, University of Osnabrück, Germany
S. Sala
Institute of Atmospheric and Environmental Science, Dept. of Experimental Atmospheric Research, J. W. Goethe-University Frankfurt/Main, Germany
W. Püttmann
Institute of Atmospheric and Environmental Science, Dept. of Analytical Environmental Chemistry, J. W. Goethe-University Frankfurt/Main, Germany
Abstract. Samples of freshly fallen snow were collected at the high alpine research station Jungfraujoch, Switzerland, during the Cloud and Aerosol Characterization Experiments (CLACE) 5 in February and March 2006. Sampling was carried out on the Sphinx platform. Headspace-solid-phase-dynamic extraction (HS-SPDE) combined with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used to quantify C6–C10 n-aldehydes in the snow samples. The most abundant n-aldehyde was n-hexanal (median concentration 1.324 μg L−1) followed by n-nonanal, n-decanal, n-octanal and n-heptanal (median concentrations 1.239, 0.863, 0.460, and 0.304 μg L−1, respectively). A wide range of concentrations was found among individual snow samples, even for samples taken at the same time. Higher median concentrations of all n-aldehydes were observed when air masses reached Jungfraujoch from the north-northwest in comparison to air masses arriving from the southeast-southwest. Results suggest that the n-aldehydes detected most likely are of direct and indirect biogenic origin, and that they entered the snow through the particle phase.
Received: 13 Jan 2009 – Discussion started: 26 Mar 2009