Emissions of non-methane organic compounds from a grassland site

Abstract

A mixture of oxygenated hydrocarbons (OxHCs), isoprene, and monoterpenes was detected in the emissions from a grassland site in the Midwestern United States. A plot dominated by crown vetch (Coronilla varia) and bluegrass (Poa spp.), exhibited a constant decrease in emissions of total non-methane organic compounds (NMOCs) from 580 {mu}g m{sup -2} hr{sup -1} in June 1992 to 150 {mu}g m{sup - 2} hr{sup -1} in October 1992, except for a slight increase in August. Oxygenated hydrocarbons (methanol, acetaldehyde, and acetone) and terpenes (isoprene, limonene, myrcene, {alpha}-pinene, and {beta}- pinene) composed about 90% and 10% of the identified NMOC emissions, respectively. Isoprene represented about 10% of the terpene emissions. Total NMOC emission rates based on vegetative biomass averaged 2.3 {mu}g g{sup -1} hr{sup -1}, with 10% of the identified NMOCs attributed to monoterpenes and the remainder mainly OxHCs. Over the course of the investigation, the relationship between the monoterpene emission rate and the temperature for a single plot was logarithmic and similar to the one between compound vapor pressure and temperature. However, emission rates normalized to temperature decreased throughout the summer and fall, indicating that parameterizations of emission rates from herbaceous plants must include a factor to compensate for environmental conditions such as soil moisture and nutrient deposition, which affect plant phenology and the seasonal pattern of species dominance.