Abstract
SummaryThe alteration of climate is driven not only by anthropogenic activities, but also by biosphere processes that change in conjunction with climate. Emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from vegetation may be particularly sensitive to changes in climate and may play an important role in climate forcing through their influence on the atmospheric oxidative balance, greenhouse gas concentration, and the formation of aerosols. Using the VEMAP vegetation database and associated vegetation responses to climate change, this study examined the independent and combined effects of simulated changes in temperature, CO2 concentration, and vegetation distribution on annual emissions of isoprene, monoterpenes, and other reactive VOCs (ORVOCs) from potential vegetation of the continental United States. Temperature effects were modelled according to the direct influence of temperature on enzymatic isoprene production and the vapour pressure of monoterpenes and ORVOCs. The effect of elevated CO2 concentration was modelled according to increases in foliar biomass per unit of emitting surface area. The effects of vegetation distribution reflects simulated changes in species spatial distribution and areal coverage by 21 different vegetation classes. Simulated climate warming associated with a doubled atmospheric CO2 concentration enhanced total modelled VOC emission by 81.8% (isoprene + 82.1%, monoterpenes + 81.6%, ORVOC + 81.1%), whereas a simulated doubled CO2 alone enhanced total modelled VOC emission by only + 11.8% (isoprene + 13.7%, monoterpenes + 4.1%, ORVOC + 11.7%). A simulated redistribution of vegetation in response to altered temperatures and precipitation patterns caused total modelled VOC emission to decline by 10.4% (isoprene – 11.7%, monoterpenes – 18.6%, ORVOC 0.0%) driven by a decline in area covered by vegetation classes emitting VOCs at high rates. Thus, the positive effect of leaf‐level adjustments to elevated CO2 (i.e. increases in foliar biomass) is balanced by the negative effect of ecosystem‐level adjustments to climate (i.e. decreases in areal coverage of species emitting VOC at high rates).
Highlights
The emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs, including isoprene, monoterpenes, and others) from terrestrial vegetation plays an important role in the concentrations and lifetimes of atmospheric trace gases
Volatile organic compounds are of particular concern because of their potential to inuence the radiative balance of the atmosphere through their inuence on greenhouse gases (Hatakeyama et al 1991; Johnson & Derwent 1996) and aerosol formation upon oxidation (Hatakeyama et al 1989)
Considering the importance of changes in VOC emission with regard to atmospheric chemistry and the potential for driving further climatic change, this study suggests the role of biogenic VOCs in affecting atmospheric chemistry and the lifetimes of greenhouse gases will increase in the future
Summary
The emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs, including isoprene, monoterpenes, and others) from terrestrial vegetation plays an important role in the concentrations and lifetimes of atmospheric trace gases# 1999 Blackwell Science Ltd.including CO (Hatakeyama et al 1991), ozone (Liu et al 1987), aerosols (Andreae & Crutzen 1997), and OH radical (Jacob & Wofsy 1988), affecting the global carbon cycle (Fehsenfeld et al 1992). Changes in the concentrations of these gases are important for issues relating to local and regional ozone pollution and potential inuence on climate change. These concerns have prompted the development of national and global inventories of the emission of VOCs into the atmosphere from natural sources which contribute to more than two thirds of the global VOC emissions (MuÈ ller 1992; Guenther et al 1995). Volatile organic compounds are of particular concern because of their potential to inuence the radiative balance of the atmosphere through their inuence on greenhouse gases (Hatakeyama et al 1991; Johnson & Derwent 1996) and aerosol formation upon oxidation (Hatakeyama et al 1989). Understanding changes in concentrations of VOCs and their effects on methane and other greenhouse gases may be important for estimating changes in the forcing of global temperature
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