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BC CLEAR Projects 2014-2015 (funding start dates) > Evaluating the Contributions of Reactive Halogens and Unsaturated Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds to Ozone Depletion Episodes at the Amphitrite Point Observatory

Evaluating the Contributions of Reactive Halogens and Unsaturated Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds to Ozone Depletion Episodes at the Amphitrite Point Observatory

posted on 7:28 PM, July 6, 2016

Project leader: Hans D. Osthoff

The objective of this project is to investigate the ozone depletion events (ODEs) at Amphitrite Point on the coast of West Vancouver Island, as an improved understanding of the ODE phenomenon is relevant for management of ozone and aerosol formation downwind, such as in the greater Vancouver area.

The University of Calgary's mobile laboratory will be deployed for a three-week intensive campaign from July to August 2015 to quantify mixing ratios of biogenic hydrocarbons (isoprene, monoterpenes and selected oxidation products) by gas chromatography - ion trap mass spectrometry (GC-ITMS) of molecular halogen species by chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CIMS) and by cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (CEAS). Dr. Osthoff and his graduate students will analyze the data set and publish the results in a peer-reviewed atmospheric chemistry journal.

This project will improve the fundamental understanding of chemical processes that influence the abundance of ozone in the marine boundary layer off Vancouver Island, namely the titration of ozone by biogenic hydrocarbons and catalytic cycles involving reactive halogens. This new data set will help improve photochemical models and air quality forecasting ability.

Read the final report.

About the Fraser Basin Council

The Fraser Basin Council (FBC) is a charitable non-profit organization that brings people together to advance sustainability in British Columbia.

Where We Work

We are grateful to live and work on the unceded ancestral territories of the Indigenous Nations of British Columbia.

Our Vision

Social well-being supported by a vibrant economy and sustained by a healthy environment.

Strategic Priorities

At the Fraser Basin Council, our strategic priorities are to take action on climate change, support healthy watersheds and water resources, and build sustainable and resilient communities.

With our partners, we work on a range of collaborative, multi-sector initiatives, such as those focused on flood management, community wildfire planning, air quality improvement, energy-efficient buildings, green transportation (including the uptake of electric vehicles and expansion of charging infrastructure), watershed planning and youth-driven climate action projects.

FBC Program Sites

Plug in BC:
www.pluginbc.ca

Emotive:
www.emotivebc.ca

ReTooling for Climate Change:
www.retooling.ca

FBC Youth:
fbcyouthprogram.ca

Climate Action Toolkit:
www.toolkit.bc.ca 

Salmon-Safe BC
www.salmonsafe.ca

Realizing UNDRIP Initiative
www.realizingundrip.ca

Contact Us

FBC staff work from our Vancouver, Kamloops, Williams Lake and Prince George offices, and from several other locations.

To reach us, see FBC Offices and FBC Staff or contact our administration office:

Fraser Basin Council
1st Floor, 470 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC V6C 1V5

T: 604 488-5350

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