Oligomer and highly oxygenated organic molecule formation from oxidation of oxygenated monoterpenes emitted by California sage plants

Archit Mehra,Chinmoy Sarkar,Farzaneh Khalaj,Hugh Coe,Alex Guenther,Leah Williams,Douglas Worsnop,Manjula Canagaratna,John Jayne,Celia Faiola,Jordan E Krechmer,Andrew Lambe

doi:10.5194/acp-20-10953-2020

Abstract

Abstract. Plants emit a diverse range of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) whose oxidation leads to secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation. The majority of studies of biogenic SOA have focused on single or simple multicomponent BVOC mixtures thought to be representative of Northern hemispheric deciduous or mixed forest conditions. Gaps remain in our understanding of SOA formation from complex mixtures of real plant emissions in other environments. Towards the goal of understanding SOA in other regions, we conducted the first comprehensive study of SOA from oxygenated monoterpenes. These are the dominant emissions from the most common plant species in southern California's coastal sage ecosystem: black sage (Salvia mellifera) and California sagebrush (Artemisia californica). Emissions from sage plants, as well as single compounds representing their major emissions (camphor, camphene and eucalyptol), were oxidised in an Aerodyne potential aerosol mass oxidation flow reactor (PAM-OFR). The chemical composition of SOA was characterised using a high-resolution time-of-flight iodide-anion chemical-ionisation mass spectrometer equipped with a Filter Inlet for Gases and AEROsols (FIGAERO-I-HR-ToF-CIMS) under low- and medium-NOx conditions. SOA from oxygenated monoterpenes showed a higher-order oligomer content and a greater presence of highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOMs) than non-oxygenated monoterpenes, with HOM contributing 27 %–47 % and 12 %–14 % of SOA product signal from oxygenated and non-oxygenated monoterpenes respectively. This study highlights the potential importance of oxygenated monoterpene emissions for SOA formation in woody shrub ecosystems.

Highlights

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed from the oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) contributes 50 %– 85 % of organic aerosol in the atmosphere (Jimenez et al, 2009)
The following section focuses on the characterisation and comparison of SOA from the photooxidation of camphor, camphene and eucalyptol alongside SOA produced from the photooxidation of the
This study shows that highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOMs) and oligomer formation is potentially important for SOA formed from the oxidation of oxygenated monoterpenes

Summary

Introduction

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed from the oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) contributes 50 %– 85 % of organic aerosol in the atmosphere (Jimenez et al, 2009). VOCs from biogenic emission sources (BVOCs) are estimated to contribute 75 %–90 % of the total VOCs (Guenther et al, 1995; Lamarque et al, 2010, Carlton et al, 2009; Claeys et al, 2004). BVOC oxidation by reaction with ozone, hydroxyl radical or nitrate radical has been estimated to contribute up to 50 % of SOA worldwide (Chung and Seinfeld, 2002; Hoffmann et al, 1997) with implications for air quality, climate and human health (Chung and Seinfeld, 2002; Fiore et al, 2012; Forster et al, 2007; Lohmann and Feichter, 2005). Mehra et al.: Oligomer and HOM formation from oxidation of oxygenated monoterpenes

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