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 Observatoryposted 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. |