First measurements of formaldehyde integral content in the atmosphere using MAX-DOAS in the Moscow region

Abstract

We present the first observations of formaldehyde (HCHO) atmospheric column performed for Zvenigorod, Moscow region, Russia. The data were retrieved from UV spectra of the scattered solar radiation measured by the multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) instrument developed by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology. We developed an algorithm for the HCHO retrieval from these spectra. For retrieval of the HCHO differential slant column densities, we used the DOAS settings used as baseline in the Cabauw Intercomparison Campaign of Nitrogen Dioxide Measuring Instruments (CINDI). The slant column densities of HCHO were converted to vertical column densities (VCDs) using the air mass factors calculated by a radiative transfer model. The determination of HCHO in the reference spectrum used multi-axis measurements.The variability of the HCHO vertical column in 2010 is analysed. The HCHO vertical column density is larger during east wind directions than during non-east...