Off-season biogenic volatile organic compound emissions from heath mesocosms: responses to vegetation cutting

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) affect both atmospheric processes and ecological interactions. Our primary aim was to differentiate between BVOC emissions from above- and belowground plant parts and heath soil outside the growing season. The second aim was to assess emissions from herbivory, mimicked by cutting the plants. Mesocosms from a temperate Deschampsia flexuosa-dominated heath ecosystem and a subarctic mixed heath ecosystem were either left intact, the aboveground vegetation was cut, or all plant parts (including roots) were removed. For 3–5 weeks, BVOC emissions were measured in growth chambers by an enclosure method using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. CO(2) exchange, soil microbial biomass, and soil carbon and nitrogen concentrations were also analyzed. Vegetation cutting increased BVOC emissions by more than 20-fold, and the induced compounds were mainly eight-carbon compounds and sesquiterpenes. In the Deschampsia heath, the overall low BVOC emissions originated mainly from soil. In the mixed heath, root, and soil emissions were negligible. Net BVOC emissions from roots and soil of these well-drained heaths do not significantly contribute to ecosystem emissions, at least outside the growing season. If insect outbreaks become more frequent with climate change, ecosystem BVOC emissions will periodically increase due to herbivory

Cloud droplet activation of amino acid aerosol particles

Kristensson, Adam Rosenorn, Thomas Bilde, MereteIn this work we investigated the ability of a series of amino acids to act as cloud condensation nuclei using a static thermal gradient diffusion type cloud condensation nucleus counter. Particles of pure dry L-glycine, glycyl-glycine, L-serine, L-methionine, L-glutamic acid, L-aspartic acid, and L-tyrosine were studied as well as internally mixed dry particles containing ammonium sulfate and one or two of the following amino acids: L-methionine, L-aspartic acid, or L-tyrosine. The amino acids ranged in water solubility from high (>100 g/L), intermediate (10-100 g/L), low (3-10 g/L), to very low (<3 g/L). With the exception Of L-methionine and L-tyrosine, all the studied pure amino acid particles activated as though they were fully soluble, although Kohler theory modified to account for limited solubility suggests that the activation of the intermediate and low solubility amino acids L-serine, L-glutamic acid, and L-aspartic acid should be limited by solubility. Activation of mixed particles containing at least 60% dry mass of L-tyrosine was limited by solubility, but the activation of the other investigated mixed particles behaved as if fully soluble. In general, the results show that particles containing amino acids at atmospherically relevant mixture ratios are good cloud condensation nuclei

Cloud Droplet Activation of Amino Acid Aerosol Particles.

In this work we investigated the ability of a series of amino acids to act as cloud condensation nuclei using a static thermal gradient diffusion type cloud condensation nucleus counter. Particles of pure dry l-glycine, glycyl-glycine, l-serine, l-methionine, l-glutamic acid, l-aspartic acid, and l-tyrosine were studied as well as internally mixed dry particles containing ammonium sulfate and one or two of the following amino acids: l-methionine, l-aspartic acid, or l-tyrosine. The amino acids ranged in water solubility from high (>100 g/L), intermediate (10-100 g/L), low (3-10 g/L), to very low (<3 g/L). With the exception of l-methionine and l-tyrosine, all the studied pure amino acid particles activated as though they were fully soluble, although Kohler theory modified to account for limited solubility suggests that the activation of the intermediate and low solubility amino acids l-serine, l-glutamic acid, and l-aspartic acid should be limited by solubility. Activation of mixed particles containing at least 60% dry mass of l-tyrosine was limited by solubility, but the activation of the other investigated mixed particles behaved as if fully soluble. In general, the results show that particles containing amino acids at atmospherically relevant mixture ratios are good cloud condensation nuclei