GOME-2 observations of oxygenated VOCs: what can we learn from the ratio glyoxal to formaldehyde on a global scale?

Vrekoussis, Mihalis; Wittrock, F.; Richter, Andreas; Burrows, J. P.

doi:10.5194/acp-10-10145-2010

Cited by 134 publications

(161 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…Outside the Tropics, the mean glyoxal VCDs are lower and depend strongly on the season, reflecting the seasonal patterns in the emissions of glyoxal precursors and especially isoprene. In general, the observed glyoxal fields qualitatively agree with those recently measured by Vrekoussis et al (2010), except over remote oceans where their columns are low-biased due to the glyoxal-liquid water spectral interferences. Overall, the glyoxal vertical columns increase during the local summer months.…”

Section: Observed Gome-2 Glyoxal Vertical Columnssupporting

confidence: 78%

Glyoxal vertical columns from GOME-2 backscattered light measurements and comparisons with a global model

et al. 2010

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Abstract. Glyoxal vertical column densities have been retrieved from nadir backscattered radiances measured from 2007 to 2009 by the spaceborne GOME-2/METOP-A sensor. The retrieval algorithm is based on the DOAS technique and optimized settings have been used to determine glyoxal slant columns. The liquid water absorption is accounted for using a two-step DOAS approach, leading to a drastic improvement of the fit quality over remote clear water oceans. Air mass factors are calculated by means of look-up tables of weighting functions pre-calculated with the LIDORT v3.3 radiative transfer model and using a priori glyoxal vertical distributions provided by the IMAGESv2 chemical transport model. The total error estimate comprises random and systematic errors associated to the DOAS fit, the air mass factor calculation and the cloud correction. The highest glyoxal vertical column densities are mainly observed in continental tropical regions, while the mid-latitude columns strongly depend on the season with maximum values during warm months. An anthropogenic signature is also observed in highly populated regions of Asia. Comparisons with glyoxal columns simulated with IMAGESv2 in different regions of the world generally point to a missing glyoxal source, most probably of biogenic origin.

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Section: Observed Gome-2 Glyoxal Vertical Columnssupporting

confidence: 78%

Glyoxal vertical columns from GOME-2 backscattered light measurements and comparisons with a global model

et al. 2010

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“…By analyzing satellite measurement results, Vrekoussis et al (2010) concluded that high R GF can represent regions strongly influenced by biogenic emissions. However, based on the in situ observations, DiGangi et al (2012) found that the anthropogenic emissions have positive impact on R GF .…”

Section: Influences On the Chocho To Hcho Ratiomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As illustrated by Vrekoussis et al (2010) and DiGangi et al (2012), the CHOCHO to HCHO ratio (R GF ) can be used as an indicator of anthropogenic or biogenic impact on photochemistry. When HCHO and CHOCHO are entirely photochemically formed, R GF is determined by the relative strength of production and destruction of HCHO and CHOCHO.…”

Section: Influences On the Chocho To Hcho Ratiomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on satellite observations, Vrekoussis et al (2010) conclude that regions with R GF lower than 0.045 are under influence of anthropogenic emissions, whereas R GF higher than 0.045 often indicates that VOC emissions mostly originate from biogenic sources. Average R GF up to 0.2-0.4 were observed by MacDonald et al (2012) in an Asian tropic forest.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Pearl River Delta (PRD) region located in southern China has been identified by satellite observations as the region with high levels of HCHO and CHOCHO (Wittrock et al, 2006;Vrekoussis et al, 2010). Yet simultaneous ground-based measurements of HCHO and CHOCHO in this region are quite limited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Modeling of HCHO and CHOCHO at a semi-rural site in southern China during the PRIDE-PRD2006 campaign

Rohrer²,

Brauers³

et al. 2014

Atmos. Chem. Phys.

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Abstract. HCHO and CHOCHO are important trace gases in the atmosphere, serving as tracers of VOC oxidations. In the past decade, high concentrations of HCHO and CHOCHO have been observed for the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region in southern China. In this study, we performed box model simulations of HCHO and CHOCHO at a semi-rural site in the PRD, focusing on understanding their sources and sinks and factors influencing the CHOCHO to HCHO ratio (R GF ). The model was constrained by the simultaneous measurements of trace gases and radicals. Isoprene oxidation by OH radicals is the major pathway forming HCHO, followed by degradations of alkenes, aromatics, and alkanes. The production of CHOCHO is dominated by isoprene and aromatic degradation; contributions from other NMHCs are of minor importance. Compared to the measurement results, the model predicts significant higher HCHO and CHOCHO concentrations. Sensitivity studies suggest that fresh emissions of precursor VOCs, uptake of HCHO and CHOCHO by aerosols, fast vertical transport, and uncertainties in the treatment of dry deposition all have the potential to contribute significantly to this discrepancy. Our study indicates that, in addition to chemical considerations (i.e., VOC composition, OH and NO x levels), atmospheric physical processes (e.g., transport, dilution, deposition) make it difficult to use the CHOCHO to HCHO ratio as an indicator for the origin of air mass composition.

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Glyoxal observations in the global marine boundary layer

et al. 2014

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Glyoxal is an important intermediate species formed by the oxidation of common biogenic and anthropogenic volatile organic compounds such as isoprene, toluene, and acetylene. Although glyoxal has been shown to play an important role in urban and forested environments, its role in the open ocean environment is still not well understood, with only a few observations showing evidence for its presence in the open ocean marine boundary layer (MBL). In this study, we report observations of glyoxal from 10 field campaigns in different parts of the world's oceans. These observations together represent the largest database of glyoxal in the MBL. The measurements are made with similar instruments that have been used in the past, although the open ocean values reported here, average of about 25 parts per trillion by volume (pptv) with an upper limit of 40 pptv, are much lower than previously reported observations that were consistently higher than 40 pptv and had an upper limit of 140 pptv, highlighting the uncertainties in the differential optical absorption spectroscopy method for the retrieval of glyoxal. Despite retrieval uncertainties, the results reported in this work support previous suggestions that the currently known sources of glyoxal are insufficient to explain the average MBL concentrations. This suggests that there is an additional missing source, more than a magnitude larger than currently known sources, which is necessary to account for the observed atmospheric levels of glyoxal. Therefore, it could play a more important role in the MBL than previously considered.

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GOME-2 observations of oxygenated VOCs: what can we learn from the ratio glyoxal to formaldehyde on a global scale?

Cited by 134 publications

References 73 publications

Glyoxal vertical columns from GOME-2 backscattered light measurements and comparisons with a global model

Glyoxal vertical columns from GOME-2 backscattered light measurements and comparisons with a global model

Modeling of HCHO and CHOCHO at a semi-rural site in southern China during the PRIDE-PRD2006 campaign

Glyoxal observations in the global marine boundary layer

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