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REASSESSMENT OF BIOGENIC VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUND EMISSIONS IN THE ATLANTA AREA
Citation:
Geron, C., T. Pierce, AND A. Guenther. REASSESSMENT OF BIOGENIC VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUND EMISSIONS IN THE ATLANTA AREA. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-96/022.
Description:
The paper discusses a reassessment of biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions in the Atlanta area, using a new system for specific tree genera at hourly and county levels. (NOTE: Localized estimates of BVOC emissions are important inputs for photochemical oxidant simulation models. ince forest tree species are the primary emitters of BVOCs, it is important to develop reliable estimates of their areal coverage and BVOC emission rates.) The U. S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis data and an associated urban vegetation survey involve a simple canopy model, used to adjust photosynthetically active solar radiation at five vertical levels in the canopy. eaf temperature and photosynthetically active radiation derived from ambient conditions above the forest canopy are then used to drive empirical equations to estimate genus level emission rates of BVOCs vertically through forest canopies. hese genera-level estimates are then aggregated to county and regional levels for input into air quality models and for comparison with 1) the regulatory model currently used, and 2) previous estimates for the Atlanta area by local researchers. stimated hourly emissions from the three approaches during a documented ozone event day are compared. ossible implications for oxidant events are discussed.