Snow - a photobiochemical exchange platform for volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds with the atmosphere

Ariya, Parisa A.; Dominé, Florent; Kos, Gregor; Amyot, Marc; Côté, Valérie; Vali, Hojatollah; Lauzier, Thomas; Kuhs, Werner F.; Techmer, Kirsten S; Heinrichs, Till; Mortazavi, R.

doi:10.1071/en10056

Cited by 40 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Recently, research pointed to ice nucleating activity of nanosized organic compounds, possibly peptides, as well as nanosized inorganic compounds such as metal oxides . In addition to the above categories of ice nuclei incorporated in the snow crystals, snowpack contains pollution particles Ariya et al 2011;Kos and Ariya 2010;Nemirovskaya and Kravchishina 2015;Radke et al 1980;Skeie et al 2011). These include aerosols from engine exhaust (Kuoppamäki et al 2014;Nazarenko et al 2015), power plants (Barrie 1980), mining activities (Williamson et al 2004), and other pollution sources.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Novel aerosol analysis approach for characterization of nanoparticulate matter in snow

Nazarenko

Rangel-Alvarado

Kos

et al. 2016

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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Tropospheric aerosols are involved in several key atmospheric processes: from ice nucleation, cloud formation, and precipitation to weather and climate. The impact of aerosols on these atmospheric processes depends on the chemical and physical characteristics of aerosol particles, and these characteristics are still largely uncertain. In this study, we developed a system for processing and aerosolization of melted snow in particle-free air, coupled with a real-time measurement of aerosol size distributions. The newly developed technique involves bringing snow-borne particles into an airborne state, which enables application of high-resolution aerosol analysis and sampling techniques. This novel analytical approach was compared to a variety of complementary existing analytical methods as applied for characterization of snow samples from remote sites in Alert (Canada) and Barrow (USA), as well as urban Montreal (Canada). The dry aerosol measurements indicated a higher abundance of particles of all sizes, and the 30 nm size dominated in aerosol size distributions for the Montreal samples, closely followed by Barrow, with about 30% fewer 30 nm particles, and about four times lower 30 nm particle abundance in Alert samples, where 15 nm particles were most abundant instead. The aerosolization technique, used together with nanoparticle tracking analysis and electron microscopy, allowed measurement of a wide size range of snow-borne particles in various environmental snow samples. Here, we discuss the application of the new technique to achieve better physicochemical understanding of atmospheric and snow processes. The results showed high sensitivity and reduction of particle aggregation, as well as the ability to measure a high-resolution snow-borne particle size distribution, including nanoparticulate matter in the range of 10 to 100 nm.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Novel aerosol analysis approach for characterization of nanoparticulate matter in snow

Nazarenko

Rangel-Alvarado

Kos

et al. 2016

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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“…Several studies (e.g. Amato et al, 2007;Ariya et al, 2011) have reported various microbial groups and species living and actively functioning in snow. These microbes -algae, fungi and bacteria -may either produce or use VOCs, or affect the chemical reactions in which the VOCs participate.…”

Section: Sources and Sinks Of Snowpack Vocsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…So far, only a few studies reporting measurements of snowpack gas concentrations have been published (e.g. Helmig et al, 2009a;Kos and Ariya, 2010;Ariya et al, 2011), and these studies have been focused mainly on VOCs other than terpenoids. Biogenic VOCs take part in air chemistry and are relevant also for climate change (Kulmala et al, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In late autumn and in winter when the photosynthesis of the trees is low, the lack of easily available energy sources (root exudates) may also decrease the decomposing activity in the soil, but most likely temperature is the overwhelming factor that affects the activity of decomposing organisms in the soil (Davidson and Janssens, 2006;Pumpanen et al, 2008;Schindlbacher et al, 2008;Vesala et al, 2010). In addition to VOC sources in the soil, microbes living inside and on the snowpack may produce VOCs, but could also act as sinks for them (Helmig et al, 2009a;Ariya et al, 2011). In boreal areas, leaf turnover is an important process involved in winter tolerance and nutrient retranslocation from older to younger needles.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Snowpack concentrations and estimated fluxes of volatile organic compounds in a boreal forest

et al. 2012

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Abstract. Soil provides an important source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to atmosphere, but in boreal forests these fluxes and their seasonal variations have not been characterized in detail. Especially wintertime fluxes are almost completely unstudied. In this study, we measured the VOC concentrations inside the snowpack in a boreal Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forest in southern Finland, using adsorbent tubes and air samplers installed permanently in the snow profile. Based on the VOC concentrations at three heights inside the snowpack, we estimated the fluxes of these gases. We measured 20 VOCs from the snowpack, monoterpenes being the most abundant group with concentrations varying from 0.11 to 16 µg m −3 . Sesquiterpenes and oxygencontaining monoterpenes were also detected. Inside the pristine snowpack, the concentrations of terpenoids decreased from soil surface towards the surface of the snow, suggesting soil as the source for terpenoids. Forest damages (i.e. broken treetops and branches, fallen trees) resulting from heavy snow loading during the measurement period increased the terpenoid concentrations dramatically, especially in the upper part of the snowpack. The results show that soil processes are active and efficient VOC sources also during winter, and that natural or human disturbance can increase forest floor VOC concentrations substantially. Our results stress the importance of soil as a source of VOCs during the season when other biological sources, such as plants, have lower activity.

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“…Snowpack VOC concentrations have been measured in a few studies (e.g. Kos and Ariya 2006, 2010, Ariya et al 2011, and most of these have been focused mainly on VOCs from anthropogenic sources. Karl et al (2009) even hypothesized that biogenic VOC emissions are close to zero and negligible during the snow cover period.…”

Section: Current Knowledge Of Forest Floor and Soil Voc Production Anmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exchange of volatile organic compounds in the boreal forest floor

Aaltonen¹

2012

Diss. For.

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Terrestrial ecosystems, mainly plants, emit large amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere. In addition to plants, VOCs also have less-known sources, such as soil. VOCs are a very diverse group of reactive compounds, including terpenoids, alcohols, aldehydes and ketones. Due to their high reactivity, VOCs take part in chemical reactions in the atmosphere and thus also affect Earth's radiation balance.In this study, chamber and snow gradient techniques for measuring boreal soil and forest floor VOC fluxes were developed. Spatial and temporal variability in fluxes was studied with year-round measurements in the field and the sources of boreal soil VOCs in the laboratory with fungal isolates. Determination of the compounds was performed mass spectrometrically.This study reveals that VOCs from soil are emitted by living roots, above-and belowground litter and microbes. The strongest source appears to be litter, in which both plant residuals and decomposers play a role in the emissions. Temperature and moisture are the most critical physical factors driving VOC fluxes. Since the environment in boreal forests undergoes strong seasonal changes, the VOC flux strength of the forest floor varies markedly during the year, being highest in spring and autumn. The high spatial heterogeneity of the forest floor was also clearly visible in VOC fluxes. The fluxes of trace gases (CO 2 , CH 4 and N 2 O) from soil, which are also related to the soil biological activity and physical conditions, did not correlate with the VOC fluxes.Our results show that emissions of VOCs from the boreal forest floor accounts for as much as several tens of percent, depending on the season, of the total forest ecosystem VOC emissions. This can be utilized in air chemistry models, which are almost entirely lacking the below-canopy compartment.

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Snow - a photobiochemical exchange platform for volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds with the atmosphere

Cited by 40 publications

References 56 publications

Novel aerosol analysis approach for characterization of nanoparticulate matter in snow

Novel aerosol analysis approach for characterization of nanoparticulate matter in snow

Snowpack concentrations and estimated fluxes of volatile organic compounds in a boreal forest

Exchange of volatile organic compounds in the boreal forest floor

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