Fill dynamics and sample mixing in the AirCore

Abstract

The AirCore is a long coiled tube that acts as a "tape recorder"of the composition of air as it is slowly filled or flushed. When launched by balloon with one end of the tube open and the other closed, the initial fill air flows out during ascent as the outside air pressure drops. During descent atmospheric air flows back in. I describe how we can associate the position of an air parcel in the tube with the altitude it came from by modeling the dynamics of the fill process. The conditions that need to be satisfied for the model to be accurate are derived. The extent of the mixing of air parcels that enter at different times is calculated so that we know how many independent samples are in the tube upon landing and later when the AirCore is analyzed.