Observations of elevated formaldehyde over a forest canopy suggest missing sources from rapid oxidation of arboreal hydrocarbons

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dc.contributor.authorChoi, W.
dc.contributor.authorFaloona, I. C.
dc.contributor.authorBouvier-Brown, N. C.
dc.contributor.authorMcKay, M.
dc.contributor.authorGoldstein, A. H.
dc.contributor.authorMao, J.
dc.contributor.authorBrune, W. H.
dc.contributor.authorLaFranchi, B. W.
dc.contributor.authorCohen, R. C.
dc.contributor.authorWolfe, G. M.
dc.contributor.authorThornton, J. A.
dc.contributor.authorSonnenfroh, D. M.
dc.contributor.authorMillet, D. B.
dc.date.accessioned2020-09-17T16:40:27Z
dc.date.available2020-09-17T16:40:27Z
dc.date.issued2010-09-17
dc.description.abstractTo better understand the processing of biogenic VOCs (BVOCs) in the pine forests of the US Sierra Nevada, we measured HCHO at Blodgett Research Station using Quantum Cascade Laser Spectroscopy (QCLS) during the Biosphere Effects on Aerosols and Photochemistry Experiment (BEARPEX) of late summer 2007. Four days of the experiment exhibited particularly copious HCHO, with midday peaks between 15–20 ppbv, while the other days developed delayed maxima between 8–14 ppbv in the early evening. From the expansive photochemical data set, we attempt to explain the observed HCHO concentrations by quantifying the various known photochemical production and loss terms in its chemical budget. Overall, known chemistry predicts a factor of 3–5 times less HCHO than observed. By examining diurnal patterns of the various budget terms we conclude that, during the high HCHO period, local, highly reactive oxidation chemistry produces an abundance of formaldehyde at the site. The results support the hypothesis of previous work at Blodgett Forest suggesting that large quantities of oxidation products, observed directly above the ponderosa pine canopy, are evidence of profuse emissions of very reactive volatile organic compounds (VR-VOCs) from the forest. However, on the majority of days, under generally cooler and more moist conditions, lower levels of HCHO develop primarily influenced by the influx of precursors transported into the region along with the Sacramento plume.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipThe lead author would like to thank the Kearney Foundation of Soil Science, the NASA-UCSC University Affiliated Research Center (grant #NAS2-03144), and the Atmospheric Aerosols & Health Lead Campus program of the Toxic Substances Research & Teaching Program for support. The deployment was also supported by a NSF small grant for exploratory research (grant #0741375). We also thank James Podolske of NASA Ames Research Center for loan of the formaldehyde QCL system, Sierra Pacific Industries for the use of land, Blodgett Forest Research Station staff for cooperation during BEARPEX, and J. A. de Gouw and J. B. Gilman of NOAA for sharing biogenic VOC data. G. Wolfe acknowledges support from NASA Earth Systems Science Fellowship NNG-05GP64H. Discussions with Frank Kuetsch and Jessie Charrier were helpful to the final realization of this work.en_US
dc.description.urihttps://acp.copernicus.org/articles/10/8761/2010/en_US
dc.format.extent21 pagesen_US
dc.genrejournal articlesen_US
dc.identifierdoi:10.13016/m23w3h-r0j4
dc.identifier.citationChoi, W., Faloona, I. C., Bouvier-Brown, N. C., McKay, M., Goldstein, A. H., Mao, J., Brune, W. H., LaFranchi, B. W., Cohen, R. C., Wolfe, G. M., Thornton, J. A., Sonnenfroh, D. M., and Millet, D. B.: Observations of elevated formaldehyde over a forest canopy suggest missing sources from rapid oxidation of arboreal hydrocarbons, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 8761–8781, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-8761-2010, 2010.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-8761-2010
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/19673
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherCopernicus Publicationsen_US
dc.relation.isAvailableAtThe University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Physics Department
dc.rightsThis item is likely protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Unless on a Creative Commons license, for uses protected by Copyright Law, contact the copyright holder or the author.
dc.rightsAttribution 3.0 Unported*
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/*
dc.titleObservations of elevated formaldehyde over a forest canopy suggest missing sources from rapid oxidation of arboreal hydrocarbonsen_US
dc.typeTexten_US

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