Estimating Biogenic Non-Methane Hydrocarbon Emissions for the Wasatch Front Through a High-Resolution. Gridded, Biogenic Vola Tile Organic Compound Emissions Inventory
Abstract
During the summers of 2000, 2001, and 2002, monitoring sites along the Wasatch Front reported ground-level concentrations of ozone exceeding both the 1-hour and proposed 8-hour National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Reactive biogenic (natural) volatile organic compounds emitted from plants have been shown to have the potential to increase the formation of ozone and other photochemical products. In order to better estimate and spatially characterize the vegetative emissions of photochemically reactive hydrocarbons along the Wasatch Front, a high-resolution, 30- meter gridded biogenic emissions inventory was created for the Wasatch Front using remotely sensed data. Local vegetative survey information was used to help reduce some of the uncertainty in predicting plant species composition and frequency. Isoprene emissions computed for the study area from the project's high-resolution gridded inventory were 65% higher than isoprene estimates from the second version of the U.S. E.P.A's currently recommended inventory, Biogenic Emissions Landcover Database (BELD 2), while monoterpene and other reactive volatile organic compound emission rates were almost 26% and 28% lower, respectively. This high-resolution emissions inventory also characterized the spatial distribution of biogenic hydrocarbon emissions within the study area at a 30-meter resolution, whereas BELD 2 assumes homogenous, countywide emissions. This high-resolution model could potentially increase the accuracy of model predictions that utilize biogenic hydrocarbon emission estimates as input for air quality modeling and assist regulators in developing control strategies for ozone formation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA410695
Entities
People
- Jeremy V. Oldham
Organizations
- Utah State University