Observations Of Oxidation Products Above A Forest Imply Biogenic Emissions Of Very Reactive Compounds

  • Sites: US-Blo
  • Holzinger, R., Lee, A., Paw, K. T., Goldstein, A. H. (2005) Observations Of Oxidation Products Above A Forest Imply Biogenic Emissions Of Very Reactive Compounds, Atmospheric Chemistry And Physics, 5(1), 67-75. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-5-67-2005
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  • Vertical gradients of mixing ratios of volatile organic compounds have been measured in a Ponderosa pine forest in Central California (38.90° N, 120.63° W, 1315m). These measurements reveal large quantities of previously unreported oxidation products of short lived biogenic precursors. The emission of biogenic precursors must be in the range of 13-66µmol m-2h-1 to produce the observed oxidation products. That is 6-30 times the emissions of total monoterpenes observed above the forest canopy on a molar basis. These reactive precursors constitute a large fraction of biogenic emissions at this site, and are not included in current emission inventories. When oxidized by ozone they should efficiently produce secondary aerosol and hydroxyl radicals.