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AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

Index Terms

  • Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Constituent sources and sinks
  • Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Pollution: urban and regional
  • Atmospheric Processes: Boundary layer processes
  • Atmospheric Processes: Instruments and techniques

Abstract

Flux measurements of volatile organic compounds from an urban landscape

E. Velasco

Laboratory for Atmospheric Research, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA

B. Lamb

Laboratory for Atmospheric Research, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA

S. Pressley

Laboratory for Atmospheric Research, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA

E. Allwine

Laboratory for Atmospheric Research, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA

H. Westberg

Laboratory for Atmospheric Research, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA

B. T. Jobson

Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA

M. Alexander

Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA

P. Prazeller

Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA

L. Molina

Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

M. Molina

Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Direct measurements of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions that include all sources in urban areas are a missing requirement to evaluate emission inventories and constrain current photochemical modelling practices. Here we demonstrate the use of micrometeorological techniques coupled with fast-response sensors to measure urban VOC fluxes from a neighbourhood of Mexico City, where the spatial variability of surface cover and roughness is high. Fluxes of olefins, methanol, acetone, toluene and C2-benzenes were measured and compared with the local gridded emissions inventory. VOC fluxes exhibited a clear diurnal pattern with a strong relationship to vehicular traffic. Recent photochemical modelling results suggest that VOC emissions are significantly underestimated in Mexico City, but for the olefin class, toluene, C2-benzenes, and acetone fluxes measured in this work, the results show general agreement with the gridded emissions inventory. While these measurements do not address the full suite of VOC emissions, the comparison with the inventory suggests that other explanations may be needed to explain the photochemical modelling results.

Received 27 April 2005; accepted 1 August 2005; published 19 October 2005.

Citation: Velasco, E., B. Lamb, S. Pressley, E. Allwine, H. Westberg, B. T. Jobson, M. Alexander, P. Prazeller, L. Molina, and M. Molina (2005), Flux measurements of volatile organic compounds from an urban landscape, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L20802, doi:10.1029/2005GL023356.

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