Emissions of non-methane organic compounds from a grassland site

A mixture of oxygenated hydrocarbons (OxHCs), isoprene, and monoterpenes was detected in the emissions from a grassland site in the Midwestern United States. A plot dominated by crown vetch (Coronilla varia) and bluegrass (Poa spp.), exhibited a constant decrease in emissions of total non-methane organic compounds (NMOCs) from 580 {mu}g m{sup -2} hr{sup -1} in June 1992 to 150 {mu}g m{sup - 2} hr{sup -1} in October 1992, except for a slight increase in August. Oxygenated hydrocarbons (methanol, acetaldehyde, and acetone) and terpenes (isoprene, limonene, myrcene, {alpha}-pinene, and {beta}- pinene) composed about 90% and 10% of the identified NMOC emissions, respectively. Isoprene represented about 10% of the terpene emissions. Total NMOC emission rates based on vegetative biomass averaged 2.3 {mu}g g{sup -1} hr{sup -1}, with 10% of the identified NMOCs attributed to monoterpenes and the remainder mainly OxHCs. Over the course of the investigation, the relationship between the monoterpene emission rate and the temperature for a single plot was logarithmic and similar to the one between compound vapor pressure and temperature. However, emission rates normalized to temperature decreased throughout the summer and fall, indicating that parameterizations of emission rates from herbaceous plants must include a factor to compensate for environmental conditions such as soil moisture and nutrient deposition, which affect plant phenology and the seasonal pattern of species dominance

Measurements of nonmethane hydrocarbons in Phoenix, Arizona

Nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) are precursors to oxidant formation. They are oxidized by hydroxyl radical (OH), forming a complex mixture of peroxy radicals that oxidize NO to NO{sub 2} without consuming ozone (O{sub 3}) and thus allow O{sub 3} to increase in the atmospheric boundary layer. The reactivities of the NMHCs that compose biogenic and anthropogenic emissions vary greatly. For example, isoprene, which is emitted by deciduous vegetation, has an atmospheric lifetime with respect to oxidation by OH of about 20 min in polluted air ([OH] = 10{sup 7} radicals cm{sup {minus}3}). The atmospheric lifetimes of 2-methylpropene, 2-methylbutane, and the xylenes, which are found in vehicle emissions, are approximately 30 min, 7 hr, and 1.5 hr, respectively. The authors made measurements of the NMHCs at a surface site and aloft aboard the Battelle Gulfstream (G-1) aircraft, as part of an air quality study in the Phoenix area during May 1998. Diurnal variations in the NMHC distributions and their propene-equivalent concentrations are used to examine origins and reactivities of the air masses that were sampled at the surface site

Modeling of trace gases from the 1998 North Central Mexico forest fire smoke plume, as measured over Phoenix

International audienceForest fires in North and Central America have been frequent and extensive over the past few years. Though much research has addressed the effects of forest fires in tropical South America and Africa on regional and global-scale oxidants, the same is not true for North America. Here we show that one of the days during an intensive field campaign conducted over Phoenix, Arizona, in 1998 was substantially influenced by transport from forest fires in central and southern Mexico. We combined data collected from aircraft platforms, surface stations, and satellite with model results to establish that the origin of the air sampled over Phoenix on 20 May 1998, was from forest fires in Mexico. We also investigated the effect of the smoke layer on photolysis rates and hence photochemistry over a five-day travel period from the source region to Phoenix. The results show that a smoke layer could reduce photolysis rates of key tropospheric constituents significantly and decrease the oxidant formation rates during the first few days of the plume history. The ultimate effect of the smoke layer on the evolution of oxidants in the plume was, however, shown to be minimal

In situ measurement of volatile organic compounds in groundwater by methods coupled to the cone penetrometer

The objective of this investigation is to interface an in situ, on-line sparging system with a cone penetrometer to provide direct analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCS) in groundwater by on-site analysis. Transfer line materials (15 m {times} 0.160--0.216 cm ID) composed of stainless steel, nickel, aluminum and Teflon{reg_sign}PFA, PTFE, and FEP were evaluated for their ability to quantitatively transfer chloroform, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, carbon tetrachloride, tetrachloroethylene, n-hexane, benzene, toluene, and o-xylene in the gas phase. The water content of the gas stream had an insignificant effect on the quantitative transfer of VOCs through Teflon{reg_sign} tubing but was critical to quantitative transfer of the compounds through metal tubing, particularly for nickel. Transfer efficiencies for all 7 analytes in moist gas streams through stainless steel tubing were greater than 95%. Toluene, tetrachloroethylene, and o-xylene were transferred with 93, 81 and 80% efficiency, respectively when drawn through Teflon{reg_sign}PFA tubing at 25 C. The sorption of these VOCs by Teflon{reg_sign} tubing was reversible and their transfer efficiencies improved to 94% when the tubing was flushed with 16 equivalent volumes of air. In general, the retention of the VOCs by Teflon{reg_sign} increased with decreasing aqueous solubility of the analyte. The efficiency at which VOCs were sparged from aqueous standards in Teflon{reg_sign}PFA, Type 304 stainless steel, and glass vessels were similar

Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 3.2 Diabetes Module for youth with Type 2 diabetes: reliability and validity

To test the measurement properties of the revised and updated Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 3.2 Diabetes Module originally developed in Type 1 diabetes in youth with Type 2 diabetes. The PedsQL 3.2 Diabetes Module and PedsQL Generic Core Scales were administered in a field test study to 100 young people aged 9-25 years with Type 2 diabetes. Factor analysis was conducted to determine the factor structure of the items. The 15-item Diabetes Symptoms Summary Score and 12-item Type 2-specific Diabetes Management Summary Score were empirically derived through factor analysis. The Diabetes Symptoms and Type 2-specific Diabetes Management Summary Scores showed acceptable to excellent reliability across the age groups tested (α = 0.85-0.94). The Diabetes Symptoms and Type 2-specific Diabetes Management Summary Scores evidenced construct validity through large effect size correlations with the Generic Core Scales Total Scale Score (r = 0.67 and 0.57, respectively). HbA was correlated with the Diabetes Symptoms and Type 2-specific Diabetes Management Summary Scores (r = -0.13 and -0.22). Minimal clinically important difference (MCID) scores were 5.91 and 7.39 for the Diabetes Symptoms and Type 2-specific Diabetes Management Summary Scores. The PedsQL 3.2 Diabetes Module Diabetes Symptoms Summary Score and Type 2-specific Diabetes Management Summary Score exhibited satisfactory measurement properties for use as youth self-reported diabetes symptoms and diabetes management outcomes for clinical research and clinical practice for young people with Type 2 diabetes