Concentrations and fluxes of biogenic volatile organic compounds above a Mediterranean Macchia ecosystem in western Italy

Abstract

Emission rates and concentrations of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) were measured at a Mediterranean coastal site at Castelporziano, approximately 25 km south-west of Rome, between 7 May and 3 June 2007, as part of the ACCENT-VOCBAS field campaign on biosphere-atmosphere interactions. Concentrations and emission rates were measured using the disjunct eddy covariance (DEC) method utilizing three different proton transfer reaction mass spectrometers (PTR-MS) so allowing a comparison between the instruments. The high resolution data from the PTR-MS instruments considerably enhances the original BEMA measurements of the mid 1990s. Depending on the measurement period, the volume mixing ratios were in the range 1.6-3.5 ppbv for methanol, 0.44- 1.3 ppbv for acetaldehyde, 0.96-2.1 ppbv for acetone, 0.10- 0.14 ppbv for isoprene, and 0.13-0.30 ppbv for monoterpenes. A diurnal cycle in mixing ratios was apparent with daytime maxima for methanol, acetaldehyde, acetone, and isoprene. The fluxes ranged from 370-440μgm-2 h-1 for methanol, 180-360μgm-2h-1 for acetaldehyde, 180- 450μgm-2 h-1 for acetone, 71-290μgm-2 h-1 for isoprene, and 240-860μgm-2 h-1 for monoterpenes. From the measured flux data (7 May-3 June) an average basal emission rate for the Macchia vegetation was calculated of 430μgm -2 h-1 for isoprene and 1100μgm-2 h -1 for monoterpenes. © Author(s) 2009.