Diurnal cycles of formic and acetic acids in the northern part of the Guayana shield, Venezuela

Abstract

Formic and acetic acids were measured in a scrub-grass savanna and in a nearby semideciduous forest. Gaseous HCOOH and CH3COOH were collected using the mist-scrubber technique, and were determined using ion chromatography. A strong diurnal cycle was observed at both sites, with higher mixing ratios during daytime. Concentrations in the savanna were always higher than in the forest. Most of the time HCOOH/CH3COOH ratios greater than one were recorded at the savanna site, and ratios less than one at the forest site. Boundary-layer mixing ratios in the savanna region, derived from measurements during midday, are 1.3±0.4 ppbv and 0.7±0.3 ppbv for HCOOH and CH3COOH. Dry depositions velocities between 0.5 and 1 cm s-1 were estimated for the savanna region. Atmospheric residence times of <3 days and >5 days were estimated for the rainy and dry season, respectively. © 1991 Kluwer Academic Publishers.