Abstract

BOLANO ORTIZ, Tomás Rafael; CAMARGO CAICEDO, Yiniva  and  VELEZ-PEREIRA, Andrés Mauricio. MONOTERPENES BIOGENIC EMISSIONS IN THE TAYRONA NATURAL PARK, SANTA MARTA (COLOMBIA). Luna Azul [online]. 2015, n.40, pp.102-116. ISSN 1909-2474.  https://doi.org/10.17151/luaz.2015.40.8.

Monoterpenes and other volatile organic compounds emitted by vegetation (biogenic emissions) play a significant role in tropospheric chemistry because of their participation in the formation of photochemical oxidants (i.e. troposfheric ozone). This is how the estimation of biogenic emissions is useful for determining approximate values of monoterpenes concentration, which is essential in developing programs to improve air quality. The aim of this work was to estimate biogenic emissions of monoterpenes in the Tayrona National Park, that was selected because of the presence of native vegetation of the tropics with little or no human interference. Remote sensing was applied for classification of vegetation, coverage obtaining the spatial distribution of the typical vegetation and identifying the most dominant families. Monoterpenes emissions were estimated at 3.54 x 104 kg d^-1, represented 60% of the Leguminosae family, 37.4% of the Euphorbiaceae family, 2.4% of the Anacardiaceae family and less than 1% of Rubiaceae and Polygonaceae families. During daylight hours in the park area (from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) the highest daily temperatures were registered and the highest emission rates of monoterpenes (59.6%); one fourth of the emissions occur between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. (24.2%), period in which solar radiation presents daily maximums and establishes critical conditions for the formation of photochemical oxidants. The influence of winds on the spatial-temporal distribution of emissions shows that 26% of the air mass come from the N and 15% of NE in the last quarter of year, a situation that could favor the spread of monoterpenes to urban centers near the natural park, which could alter the local atmospheric chemistry with the formation of photochemical oxidants.

Keywords : Biogenic emissions; monoterpenes; photochemical oxidants; vegetation.

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