Presentation
The emission sampling chamber developed by the CAE team in 2011 allows the estimation, at the branch scale:
- the BVOC emission potential of specific plant species (emission factor);
- The spatio-temporal variability of these emissions within a given ecosystem;
- the impact of environnemental conditions on this variability, in particular during thermal and/or water stress;
- the net carbon assimilation by the studied biomass.
Context
If, at the global scale, Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOCs) emissions represent only 1-2% of the carbon assimiliated as CO2, they contribute to optimise the net productivity by permitting the vegetation to better resist environnemental stresses, either biotic (pathogens) or abiotic (thermal and hydric in particular). BVOCs thus contribute to allelopathic interactions in the biosphere. In addition, given their chemical reactivity, they are precursors of both gaseous (O3) and particulate (Secondary Organic Aerosols ) atmospheric pollutants.
Deployment
The chamber can be coupled to on-line analysers (PTR-MS, GC). When study conditions do not allow on-line analyses in the field, BVOCs can be trapped on appropriate sampling cartridges for later analyses in the laboratory.
This portable system has been deployed in various environments, either natural (project CANOPEE), semi-controled (ODORSCAPE), agricultural (COV3ER), and urban (sTREEt). Its description and operation are detailed in Genard-Zielinski, Boissard et al. (2015).
Contact : Christophe Boissard