Variation of atmospheric volatile organic compounds over the Southern Indian Ocean (30 - 49°S)

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurélie Colomb ◽  
Valérie Gros ◽  
Séverine Alvain ◽  
Roland Sarda-Esteve ◽  
Bernard Bonsang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Marine Boundary Layer ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Southern Indian Ocean ◽  
Oceanic Fronts ◽  
Volatile Organic

Environmental context. Oceans represent 70% of the blue planet, and surprisingly, ocean emission in term of volatile organic compounds is poorly understood. The potential climate impacts on a global scale of various trace organic gases have been established, and the terrestrial inputs are well studied, but little is known about which of these can be emitted from oceanic sources. In the present study, atmospheric samples were taken over the Southern Indian Ocean, while crossing some oceanic fronts and different phytoplankton species. Such a study should aid in understanding oceanic emission, especially from phytoplankton, and will help modellers to determine concentrations of organic traces in the remote marine troposphere. Abstract. Considering its size and potential importance, the ocean is poorly characterised in terms of volatile organic compounds (VOC) that play important roles in global atmospheric chemistry. In order to better understand their potential sources and sinks over the Southern Indian Austral Ocean, shipborne measurements of selected species were made during the MANCHOT campaign during December 2004, on board the research vessel Marion Dufresne. Along the transect La Réunion to Kerguelen Island, air measurements of selected VOC (including dimethylsulfide (DMS) isoprene, carbonyls and organohalogens), carbon monoxide and ozone were performed, crossing subtropical, temperate and sub-Antarctic waters as well as pronounced subtropical and sub-Antarctic oceanic fronts. The remote marine boundary layer was characterised at latitudes 45–50°S. Oceanic fronts were associated with enhanced chlorophyll and biological activity in the seawater and elevated DMS and organohalogens in the atmosphere. These were compared with a satellite-derived phytoplankton distribution (PHYSAT). Diurnal variation for isoprene, terpenes, acetone and acetaldehyde was observed, analogously to recent results observed in mesocosm experiments.

scholarly journals Measurements of volatile organic compounds over West Africa

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 3861-3892 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. G. Murphy ◽  
D. E. Oram ◽  
C. E. Reeves
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Marine Boundary Layer ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Proton Transfer Reaction ◽  
Oxidation Products ◽  
High Time Resolution ◽  
Airborne Measurements ◽  
Volatile Organic

Abstract. In this paper we describe measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) made using a Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometer (PTR-MS) aboard the UK Facility for Atmospheric Airborne Measurements during the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (AMMA) campaign. Observations were made during approximately 85 h of flying time between 17 July and 17 August 2006, above an area between 4° N and 18° N and 3° W and 4° E, encompassing ocean, mosaic forest, and the Sahel desert. High time resolution observations of counts at mass to charge (m/z) ratios of 42, 59, 69, 71, and 79 were used to calculate mixing ratios of acetonitrile, acetone, isoprene, the sum of methyl vinyl ketone and methacrolein, and benzene, respectively using laboratory-derived humidity-dependent calibration factors. Strong spatial associations between vegetation and isoprene and its oxidation products were observed in the boundary layer, consistent with biogenic emissions followed by rapid atmospheric oxidation. Acetonitrile, benzene, and acetone were all enhanced in airmasses which had been heavily influenced by biomass burning. Benzene and acetone were also elevated in airmasses with urban influence from cities such as Lagos, Cotonou, and Niamey. The observations provide evidence that both deep convection and mixing associated with fair-weather cumulus were responsible for vertical redistribution of VOCs emitted from the surface. Profiles over the ocean showed a depletion of acetone in the marine boundary layer, but no significant decrease for acetonitrile.

A Future Multi-Platform Atmospheric Chemistry Measurement Campaign to Study Oxidation in Mixed Anthropogenic-Biogenic Air Masses

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Cantrell ◽  
Vincent Michoud ◽  
Paola Formenti ◽  
Jean-Francois Doussin ◽  
Stephanie Alhajj Moussa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Vapor Pressures ◽  
Air Masses ◽  
Measurement Campaign ◽  
Secondary Species ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Urban Plumes

<p>It is well known that the high population density of urban regions leads to significant degradation of the quality of the air because of the emissions of pollutants that are by-products of energy production, transportation, and industry. The composition and chemistry of urban air has been studied for many decades and these studies have led to detailed understanding of the factors controlling, for example, the formation of ozone, peroxyacetyl nitrate and other secondary species. In the last 20 to 30 years, significant progress has been made in reducing emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and oxides of nitrogen (NO<sub>x</sub>) in urban atmospheres. Substantial reductions in the abundance of secondary compounds, though, have been more elusive.</p><p>Research has continued to reveal more and more details of the complex processes involved in the atmospheric degradation of wide varieties of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of anthropogenic and biospheric (BVOCs) origins. BVOCs include isoprene, monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, and oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs, such as small alcohols). Emissions of BVOCs depend on several factors such as plant or tree species, temperature, and photosynthetically active radiation. They consist almost exclusively of unsaturated compounds with chemistry somewhat different from those of typical urban organic compound emissions. Oxidation of VOCs can lead to molecules of low volatility that are prone to uptake into the aerosol phase.</p><p>Recent studies conducted in megacities such as Paris, Mexico City, Los Angeles and those in China have led to significant advances in our understanding of the chemical evolution of urban plumes. However, important scientific questions remain on how mixing of anthropogenic and biogenic air masses modifies the composition of urban plumes and hence their impacts. Indeed, the proximity of cites to areas of strong biogenic emissions is not unusual. Many major cities at mid-latitudes are surrounded by forested areas.</p><p>ACROSS (Atmospheric ChemistRy Of the Suburban foreSt) is an integrative, innovative, multi-scale project awarded under the “Make Our Planet Great Again” (MOPGA) framework that seeks to definitively improve understanding of the impacts of mixing urban and biogenic air masses on the oxidation of atmospheric VOCs. The ACROSS working hypothesis is that this leads to changes in the production of oxygenated VOCs whose properties (e.g. vapor pressures) alter their importance in incorporation into SOA and their roles in production of ozone and other secondary species. Changes are also expected in the efficiency of radical recycling affecting the atmospheric oxidative capacity. Particularly important is NO<sub>x</sub> transport to suburban biogenic environments and the resulting modification of key chemical processes.</p><p>A key highlight of ACROSS is an intensive, multi-platform measurement campaign in the summer of 2022. It will use instruments staged on an airborne platform, a tower in the Rambouillet Forest near Paris, and other ground sites. The data collected from this campaign will be analyzed and studied to extract information about tropospheric oxidation chemistry generally, but also changes observed in the situation of mixed urban and biogenic air masses.</p><p>This presentation will summarize plans for the ACROSS campaign.</p>

scholarly journals Physicochemical uptake and release of volatile organic compounds by soil in coated-wall flow tube experiments with ambient air

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 2209-2232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guo Li ◽  
Yafang Cheng ◽  
Uwe Kuhn ◽  
Rongjuan Xu ◽  
Yudong Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Flow Tube ◽  
Heterogeneous Oxidation ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Wall Flow

Abstract. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play a key role in atmospheric chemistry. Emission and deposition on soil have been suggested as important sources and sinks of atmospheric trace gases. The exchange characteristics and heterogeneous chemistry of VOCs on soil, however, are not well understood. We used a newly designed differential coated-wall flow tube system to investigate the long-term variability of bidirectional air–soil exchange of 13 VOCs under ambient air conditions of an urban background site in Beijing. Sterilized soil was investigated to address physicochemical processes and heterogeneous/multiphase reactions independently from biological activity. Most VOCs revealed net deposition with average uptake coefficients (γ) in the range of 10−7–10−6 (referring to the geometric soil surface area), corresponding to deposition velocities (Vd) of 0.0013–0.01 cm s−1 and soil surface resistances (Rc) of 98–745 s cm−1, respectively. Formic acid, however, was emitted at a long-term average rate of ∼6×10-3 nmol m−2 s−1, suggesting that it was formed and released upon heterogeneous oxidation of other VOCs. The soil–atmosphere exchange of one individual VOC species can be affected by both its surface degradation/depletion caused by surface reactions and by competitive uptake or heterogeneous formation/accommodation of other VOC species. Overall, the results show that physicochemical processing and heterogeneous oxidation on soil and soil-derived dust can act as a sink or as a source of atmospheric VOCs, depending on molecular properties and environmental conditions.

scholarly journals Nitrate radicals and biogenic volatile organic compounds: oxidation, mechanisms and organic aerosol

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. L. Ng ◽  
S. S. Brown ◽  
A. T. Archibald ◽  
E. Atlas ◽  
R. C. Cohen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Organic Nitrate ◽  
Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Volatile Organic

Abstract. Oxidation of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) by the nitrate radical (NO3) represents one of the important interactions between anthropogenic emissions related to combustion and natural emissions from the biosphere. This interaction has been recognized for more than three decades, during which time a large body of research has emerged from laboratory, field and modeling studies. NO3-BVOC reactions influence air quality, climate and visibility through regional and global budgets for reactive nitrogen (particularly organic nitrates), ozone and organic aerosol. Despite its long history of research and the significance of this topic in atmospheric chemistry, a number of important uncertainties remain. These include an incomplete understanding of the rates, mechanisms and organic aerosol yields for NO3-BVOC reactions, lack of constraints on the role of heterogeneous oxidative processes associated with the NO3 radical, the difficulty of characterizing the spatial distributions of BVOC and NO3 within the poorly mixed nocturnal atmosphere and the challenge of constructing appropriate boundary layer schemes and non-photochemical mechanisms for use in state-of-the-art chemical transport and chemistry-climate models. This review is the result of a workshop of the same title held at the Georgia Institute of Technology in June 2015. The first section summarizes the current literature on NO3-BVOC chemistry, with a particular focus on recent advances in instrumentation and models, and in organic nitrate and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation chemistry. Building on this current understanding, the second half of the review outlines impacts of NO3-BVOC chemistry on air quality and climate, and suggests critical research needs to better constrain this interaction to improve the predictive capabilities of atmospheric models.

scholarly journals Fluxes and concentrations of volatile organic compounds from a South-East Asian tropical rainforest

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (17) ◽  
pp. 8391-8412 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Langford ◽  
P. K. Misztal ◽  
E. Nemitz ◽  
B. Davison ◽  
C. Helfter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Carbon Flux ◽  
Tropical Rainforest ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Emission Rates ◽  
Reactive Carbon ◽  
Volatile Organic

Abstract. As part of the OP3 field study of rainforest atmospheric chemistry, above-canopy fluxes of isoprene, monoterpenes and oxygenated volatile organic compounds were made by virtual disjunct eddy covariance from a South-East Asian tropical rainforest in Malaysia. Approximately 500 hours of flux data were collected over 48 days in April–May and June–July 2008. Isoprene was the dominant non-methane hydrocarbon emitted from the forest, accounting for 80% (as carbon) of the measured emission of reactive carbon fluxes. Total monoterpene emissions accounted for 18% of the measured reactive carbon flux. There was no evidence for nocturnal monoterpene emissions and during the day their flux rate was dependent on both light and temperature. The oxygenated compounds, including methanol, acetone and acetaldehyde, contributed less than 2% of the total measured reactive carbon flux. The sum of the VOC fluxes measured represents a 0.4% loss of daytime assimilated carbon by the canopy, but atmospheric chemistry box modelling suggests that most (90%) of this reactive carbon is returned back to the canopy by wet and dry deposition following chemical transformation. The emission rates of isoprene and monoterpenes, normalised to 30 °C and 1000 μmol m−2 s−1 PAR, were 1.6 mg m−2 h−1 and 0.46mg m−2 h−1 respectively, which was 4 and 1.8 times lower respectively than the default value for tropical forests in the widely-used MEGAN model of biogenic VOC emissions. This highlights the need for more direct canopy-scale flux measurements of VOCs from the world's tropical forests.

scholarly journals From emissions to ambient mixing ratios: on-line seasonal field measurements of volatile organic compounds over a Norway spruce dominated forest in central Germany

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 30187-30232 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Bourtsoukidis ◽  
J. Williams ◽  
J. Kesselmeier ◽  
S. Jacobi ◽  
B. Bonn
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Norway Spruce ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Temperature Dependency ◽  
Emission Rates ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Central Germany ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
Volatile Organic

Abstract. Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) are substantial contributors to atmospheric chemistry and physics and demonstrate the close relationship between biosphere and atmosphere. Their emission rates are highly sensitive to meteorological and environmental changes with concomitant impacts on atmospheric chemistry. We have investigated seasonal isoprenoid and oxygenated VOC (oxVOC) fluxes from a Norway spruce (Picea abies) tree in Central Germany and explored the emission responses under various atmospheric conditions. Emission rates were quantified by using dynamic branch enclosure and Proton Transfer Reaction–Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS) techniques. Additionally, ambient mixing ratios were derived through application of a new box model treatment on the dynamic chamber measurements. These are compared in terms of abundance and origin with the corresponding emissions. Isoprenoids govern the BVOC emissions from Norway spruce, with monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes accounting for 50.8 ± 7.2% and 19.8 ± 8.1% respectively of the total emissions. Normalizing the VOC emission rates, we have observed a trend of reduction of carbon containing emissions from April to November, with an enhancement of oxVOC. Highest emission rates were observed in June for all measured species, with the exception of sesquiterpenes that were emitted most strongly in April. We exploit the wide range of conditions experienced at the site to filter the dataset with a combination of temperature, ozone and absolute humidity values in order to derive the emission potential and temperature dependency development for the major chemical species investigated. A profound reduction of monoterpene emission potential (E30) and temperature dependency (β) was found under low temperature regimes, combined with low ozone levels (E30MT, LTLO3=56 ± 9.1 ng g(dw)−1 h−1, βMT,LTLO3=0.03±0.01 K−1) while a combination of both stresses was found to alter their emissions responses with respect to temperature substantially (E30MT,HTHO3=1420.1 ± 191.4 ng g(dw)−1 h−1, βMT,HTHO3=0.15 ± 0.02 K−1). Moreover, we have explored compound relationships under different atmospheric condition sets, addressing possible co-occurrence of emissions under specific conditions. Finally, we evaluate the temperature dependent algorithm that seems to describe the temperature dependent emissions. Highest emission deviations were observed for monoterpenes and these emission fluctuations were attributed to a fraction which is triggered by an additional light dependency.

scholarly journals Revisiting benzene cluster cations for the chemical ionization of dimethyl sulfide and select volatile organic compounds

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 10121-10157 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Kim ◽  
M. C. Zoerb ◽  
N. R. Campbell ◽  
K. J. Zimmermann ◽  
B. W. Blomquist ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Mass Spectrometer ◽  
Chemical Ionization ◽  
Dimethyl Sulfide ◽  
Marine Boundary Layer ◽  
Ionization Mass ◽  
Select Group ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Volatile Organic

Abstract. Benzene cluster cations were revisited as a sensitive and selective reagent ion for the chemical ionization of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and a select group of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Laboratory characterization was performed using both a new set of compounds (i.e. DMS, β-caryophyllene) as well as previously studied VOCs (i.e., isoprene, α-pinene). Using a field deployable chemical ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (CI-ToFMS), benzene cluster cations demonstrated high sensitivity (> 1 ncps ppt−1) to DMS, isoprene, and α-pinene standards. Parallel measurements conducted using a chemical-ionization quadrupole mass spectrometer, with a weaker electric field, demonstrated that ion-molecule reactions likely proceed through a combination of ligand-switching and direct charge transfer mechanisms. Laboratory tests suggest that benzene cluster cations may be suitable for the selective ionization of sesquiterpenes, where minimal fragmentation (< 25 %) was observed for the detection of β-caryophyllene, a bicyclic sesquiterpene. The field stability of benzene cluster cations using CI-ToFMS was examined in the marine boundary layer during the High Wind Gas Exchange Study (HiWinGS). The use of benzene cluster cation chemistry for the selective detection of DMS was validated against an atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometer. Measurements from the two instruments were highly correlated (R2=0.80) over a wide range of sampling conditions.

scholarly journals Missing OH reactivity in the global marine boundary layer

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 4013-4029 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander B. Thames ◽  
William H. Brune ◽  
David O. Miller ◽  
Hannah M. Allen ◽  
Eric C. Apel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Dimethyl Sulfide ◽  
Marine Boundary Layer ◽  
Limit Of Detection ◽  
Chemical Species ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Difference

Abstract. The hydroxyl radical (OH) reacts with thousands of chemical species in the atmosphere, initiating their removal and the chemical reaction sequences that produce ozone, secondary aerosols, and gas-phase acids. OH reactivity, which is the inverse of OH lifetime, influences the OH abundance and the ability of OH to cleanse the atmosphere. The NASA Atmospheric Tomography (ATom) campaign used instruments on the NASA DC-8 aircraft to measure OH reactivity and more than 100 trace chemical species. ATom presented a unique opportunity to test the completeness of the OH reactivity calculated from the chemical species measurements by comparing it to the measured OH reactivity over two oceans across four seasons. Although the calculated OH reactivity was below the limit of detection for the ATom instrument used to measure OH reactivity throughout much of the free troposphere, the instrument was able to measure the OH reactivity in and just above the marine boundary layer. The mean measured value of OH reactivity in the marine boundary layer across all latitudes and all ATom deployments was 1.9 s−1, which is 0.5 s−1 larger than the mean calculated OH reactivity. The missing OH reactivity, the difference between the measured and calculated OH reactivity, varied between 0 and 3.5 s−1, with the highest values over the Northern Hemisphere Pacific Ocean. Correlations of missing OH reactivity with formaldehyde, dimethyl sulfide, butanal, and sea surface temperature suggest the presence of unmeasured or unknown volatile organic compounds or oxygenated volatile organic compounds associated with ocean emissions.

scholarly journals Cryptogamic organisms are a substantial source and sink for volatile organic compounds in the Amazon region

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Achim Edtbauer ◽  
Eva Y. Pfannerstill ◽  
Ana Paula Pires Florentino ◽  
Cybelli G. G. Barbosa ◽  
Emilio Rodriguez-Caballero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Oxidation Products ◽  
Atmospheric Oxidation ◽  
Tropical Rainforests ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
Flux Measurements ◽  
Made In

AbstractCryptogamic organisms such as bryophytes and lichens cover most surfaces within tropical forests, yet their impact on the emission of biogenic volatile organic compounds is unknown. These compounds can strongly influence atmospheric oxidant levels as well as secondary organic aerosol concentrations, and forest canopy leaves have been considered the dominant source of these emissions. Here we present cuvette flux measurements, made in the Amazon rainforest between 2016–2018, and show that common bryophytes emit large quantities of highly reactive sesquiterpenoids and that widespread lichens strongly uptake atmospheric oxidation products. A spatial upscaling approach revealed that cryptogamic organisms emit sesquiterpenoids in quantities comparable to current canopy attributed estimates, and take up atmospheric oxidation products at rates comparable to hydroxyl radical chemistry. We conclude that cryptogamic organisms play an important and hitherto overlooked role in atmospheric chemistry above and within tropical rainforests.

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