Title: Atmospheric transport model applied to understand the effect of biogenic emissions to secondary atmospheric aerosol in hemiboreal zone

Authors: Ardi Loot; Riinu Ots; Marko Kaasik; Hilja Iher

Addresses: Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, 50090 Tartu, Estonia ' Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, 50090 Tartu, Estonia ' Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, 50090 Tartu, Estonia ' Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, 50090 Tartu, Estonia

Abstract: The SILAM model with built-in isoprene and monoterpene emission module from natural sources was run for May to August 2006 in Baltic Sea region. In this study VOCs were advected as passive tracers. Modelled hourly VOC-tracer concentrations were compared with sub-half-micrometre aerosol concentrations, simultaneously measured in Preila (Lithuania), Tahkuse (Estonia), Hyytiälä (southern Finland) and Värriö (northern Finland). Linear correlation coefficients between measured and modelled concentrations were found in range 0.45 to 0.72. Bilinear regression result, based on summary monoterpenes and sulphate (AQME II model run, FMI), is even better correlated with aerosol: coefficients from 0.58 to 0.83. Thus, biogenic VOCs and sulphates are likely two major contributors to the sub-half-micron aerosol in the Nordic-Baltic region. This study demonstrates that a state-of-art advection-diffusion model with proper emission database is capable to predict the accumulation mode aerosol concentrations in the atmosphere. More research in aerosol dynamics is needed to refine the results.

Keywords: advection-diffusion model; isoprenes; monoterpenes; sub-micron aerosol; SILAM; Finland; Lithuania; Estonia; air quality; air pollution; atmospheric dispersion modelling; pollutant transport; biogenic emissions; secondary aerosol; hemiboreal zone; Baltic Sea; VOCs; volatile organic compounds; passive tracers; aerosol dynamics.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2012.051205

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2012 Vol.50 No.1/2/3/4, pp.342 - 350

Published online: 19 Nov 2014 *

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