Determination of BVOCs based on high time-resolved measurements in urban and forest areas in Japan

Abstract

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) with high photochemical activity and short atmospheric lifetimes are major contributors to tropospheric ozone and other photochemical air pollution. Although several studies have been conducted on BVOC emissions in Japan, no comprehensive observations have been made to determine the actual state of BVOCs in the atmosphere. Therefore, we conducted time-resolved measurements of atmospheric BVOCs in urban and forested areas throughout the year. The concentrations of BVOCs were higher in summer than in the other seasons. Isoprene concentrations were higher during hours with higher temperatures and solar radiation. However, there were also months and times of the year when monoterpenes showed high concentrations, which indicates that the behavior of the BVOC components differed depending on the time of the year. The results of the propylene equivalent concentration indicated that BVOCs considerably contributed to tropospheric ozone production. The year-long observations of BVOCs in this study contribute to our understanding of the actual status of atmospheric BVOC concentrations and components and the uncertainty in the calculation results of chemical transport models.