Studies of the interaction of biogenic volatile organic compounds and NOx in forest environments

<p>Ozone is a pollutant that causes crop damage, adverse health effects, and is a contributor to global climate change. Ozone concentrations are predicted to rise over the next half-century along with global temperature. Ozone production is controlled by the chemistry between biogenic volatile organic compounds and NO_x (NO + NO₂), and therefore, a greater understanding of NO_x + BVOC chemistry along with their sources and sinks is needed. One large uncertainty in understanding NO_x + BVOC chemistry is the production of organic nitrates (RONO₂), which act as a radical termination step in the production of O₃. In this work, we present two modified instruments built to better understand the sources of NO_x and BVOCs. The result of one field campaign to identify the source of early morning NO_x plumes is presented. The development of a novel sampling system for a GCxGC system is presented, along with data obtained by the instrument during a field campaign. Finally, a 0-D chemical model is used to identify the BVOC precursors most important to the formation of organic nitrates.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Chemistry

Year

2015

Author dc:creator

• McAvey, Kevin M

Contributors dc:contributor

• Paul B. Shepson
• Mary J. Wirth
• Garth J. Simpson
• Peter Kissinger

• Atmospheric Sciences
• Chemistry

Repository record dc:identifier

https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/open_access_dissertations/514

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:open_access_dissertations-1438