Seminar Physik und Chemie der Atmosphäre (Abstract)

 Results of OVOC (oxygenated volatile organic compound) measurements -
Accounting for the uncounted

  Sheena J. Solomon
IUP

03.02.2006, 13.00 c.t.
Room S3120

a) Are BVOCs bio-indicators of elevated tropospheric O₃?
(In collaboration with I.E.N.S, Lancaster University, UK)

BVOCs (Biogenic Volatile Organic compounds) have an important negative impact in atmospheric chemistry; they rapidly react with anthropogenic and natural compounds and particularly with nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere leading to the formation of tropospheric ozone and photochemical smog. Furthermore, BVOCs affect the residence time of other greenhouse gases (including methane), and may cause the formation of secondary aerosols, a component of PM10 in the atmosphere. In order to improve our knowledge on these processes, we are currently studying the relationships between BVOC flux and physiological variation in plants exposed to elevated tropospheric ozone. The normalized standard emission factors were estimated on the basis of a temperature and physiology dependent algorithm. Results and main conclusions derived from the measurements performed at the Lancaster University will be shown with an emphasis on future prospects.

b) Exposure assessment of indoor pollutants

An indoor air quality survey was conducted, on selected floors at the Institute of Environmental Physics (IUP), during the summer of 2005. Twenty compounds were identified; active smoking was found to be a major source of exposure to the genotoxic carcinogens and styrene. A quick look on some interesting results, main sources of pollutants, exposure levels, cancer risk and remediation measures will be given.