Emissions of Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds and Observations of VOC Oxidation at Harvard Forest
Abstract
The contribution of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) to oxidant concentrations and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) production in forested environments depends on the emission rates of these compounds. Recent findings have suggested that the emission rates of BVOCs and the range of species emitted could be larger than previously thought. In this study, Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS) was used to obtain fast (<1 Hz) measurements of the predominant BVOC species, including isoprene, monoterpenes, and oxygenated BVOCs, above the canopy at Harvard Forest (Petersham, MA) during the summers of 2005, 2007, and 2008. Together with vertical wind data, these measurements are used to determine fluxes of BVOCs out of the forest using the virtual disjunct eddy covariance method. Concentrations of additional VOCs, including methyl vinyl ketone + methacrolein and terpene oxidation products were also measured. Isoprene is the dominant emitted species, with peak emission rates and midday mixing ratios of ca. 4 mg isoprene m-2 h-1 and ca. 5 ppbv, respectively. Isoprene emission rates are expected to vary with temperature and radiation (PAR) levels, and are compared to standard emission algorithms based on these parameters. Interannual variability in isoprene emission rates is also observed, and contributing factors are explored. In contrast to isoprene, maximum monoterpene concentrations typically were less than 1 ppbv and occurred in the early evening, with a local minimum at midday. Monoterpene fluxes are about an order of magnitude smaller than those of isoprene. The amplitude of the flux diurnal cycle suggests monoterpene emissions at Harvard Forest may exhibit light dependence as well as temperature dependence. Fluxes of oxygenated VOCs, including methanol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and oxygenated terpenes that have rarely been observed previously, are also reported, and the dependence of their emission rates on factors such as time of year, temperature, radiation levels, and meteorological conditions are investigated.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2009
- Bibcode:
- 2009AGUFM.A21C0254M
- Keywords:
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- 0315 ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE / Biosphere/atmosphere interactions;
- 0322 ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE / Constituent sources and sinks;
- 0365 ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE / Troposphere: composition and chemistry