[en] A unique radio frequency-induced helium plasma (RFIHP) sensor and a spark discharge (SD) sensor were designed, and prototype units were developed and tested. Both sensors use an atomic excitation source coupled to a fiber-optic cable and optical spectrometer to monitor in situ the emission intensity of selected elements of interest in the ambient air. Potential applications include vadose zone monitoring of volatile species. The RFIHP sensor was designed to measure the total chlorine concentration from carbon tetrachloride (and other volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons), and the SD sensor was designed to measure in situ concentrations of chlorine-containing compounds. The results of this research demonstrate proof of concept of the theory, but suggest further refinements are necessary to achieve detection sensitivities sufficiently low to be useful for monitoring concentrations of selected elements in vadose zone air. 9 refs., 10 figs