Articles | Volume 21, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8045-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8045-2021
Research article
 | 
26 May 2021
Research article |  | 26 May 2021

Sesquiterpenes and oxygenated sesquiterpenes dominate the VOC (C5–C20) emissions of downy birches

Heidi Hellén, Arnaud P. Praplan, Toni Tykkä, Aku Helin, Simon Schallhart, Piia P. Schiestl-Aalto, Jaana Bäck, and Hannele Hakola

Related authors

Spatial variability of VOCs, ozone, and carbonaceous aerosols during the 2022 European summer heatwave
Wenche Aas, Thérèse Salameh, Robert Wegener, Heidi Hellén, Jean-Luc Jaffrezo, Pontus Roldin, Elisabeth Alonso-Blanco, Andres Alastuey, Crist Amelynck, Jgor Arduini, Benjamin Bergmans, Marie Bertrand, Agnes Borbon, Efstratios Bourtsoukidis, Laetitia Bouvier, David Butterfield, Iris Buxbaum, Darius Ceburnis, Anja Claude, Aurélie Colomb, Sophie Darfeuil, James Dernie, Maximilien Desservettaz, Elías Díaz-Ramiro, Marvin Dufresne, René Dubus, Mario Duval, Marie Dury, Anna Font, Kirsten Fossum, Evelyn Freney, Gotzon Gangoiti, Yao Ge, Maria Carmen Gomez, Francisco J. Gómez-Moreno, Marie Gohy, Valérie Gros, Paul Hamer, Bryan Hellack, Hartmut Herrmann, Robert Holla, Adéla Holubová, Niels Jensen, Tuija Jokinen, Matthew Jones, Uwe Käfer, Lukas Kesper, Dieter Klemp, Dagmar Kubistin, Angela Marinoni, Martina Mazzini, Vy Ngoc Thuy Dinh, Jurgita Ovadnevaite, Tuukka Petäjä, Miguel Portillo-Estrada, Jitka Přívozníková, Jean-Philippe Putaud, Stefan Reimann, Laura Renzi, Veronique Riffault, Stuart Ritchie, Chris Robins, Begoña Artíñano Rodríguez de Torres, Laurent Poulain, Julian Rüdiger, Agnieszka Sanocka, Estibaliz Saez de Camara Oleaga, Niels Schoon, Roger Seco, Ivan Simmons, Leïla Simon, David Simpson, Emmanuel Tison, August Thomasson, Svetlana Tsyro, Marsailidh Twigg, Toni Tykkä, Bert Verreyken, Ana Maria Yáñez-Serrano, Sverre Solberg, Karen Yeung, Ilona Ylivinkka, Karl Espen Yttri, Ågot Watne, and Katie Williams
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6166,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6166, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Variability in BVOC emissions and air quality impacts among urban trees in Montreal and Helsinki
Kaisa Rissanen, Juho Aalto, Jaana Bäck, Heidi Hellén, Toni Tykkä, and Alain Paquette
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 15415–15435, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-15415-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-15415-2025, 2025
Short summary
Measurement report: Wintertime aerosol characterization at an urban traffic site in Helsinki, Finland
Kimmo Teinilä, Sanna Saarikoski, Henna Lintusaari, Teemu Lepistö, Petteri Marjanen, Minna Aurela, Heidi Hellén, Toni Tykkä, Markus Lampimäki, Janne Lampilahti, Luis Barreira, Timo Mäkelä, Leena Kangas, Juha Hatakka, Sami Harni, Joel Kuula, Jarkko V. Niemi, Harri Portin, Jaakko Yli-Ojanperä, Ville Niemelä, Milja Jäppi, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Joonas Vanhanen, Liisa Pirjola, Hanna E. Manninen, Tuukka Petäjä, Topi Rönkkö, and Hilkka Timonen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4907–4928, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4907-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4907-2025, 2025
Short summary
Measurement report: Exploring the variations in ambient BTEX in urban Europe and their environmental health implications
Xiansheng Liu, Xun Zhang, Marvin Dufresne, Tao Wang, Lijie Wu, Rosa Lara, Roger Seco, Marta Monge, Ana Maria Yáñez-Serrano, Marie Gohy, Paul Petit, Audrey Chevalier, Marie-Pierre Vagnot, Yann Fortier, Alexia Baudic, Véronique Ghersi, Grégory Gille, Ludovic Lanzi, Valérie Gros, Leïla Simon, Heidi Héllen, Stefan Reimann, Zoé Le Bras, Michelle Jessy Müller, David Beddows, Siqi Hou, Zongbo Shi, Roy M. Harrison, William Bloss, James Dernie, Stéphane Sauvage, Philip K. Hopke, Xiaoli Duan, Taicheng An, Alastair C. Lewis, James R. Hopkins, Eleni Liakakou, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Xiaohu Zhang, Andrés Alastuey, Xavier Querol, and Thérèse Salameh
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 625–638, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-625-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-625-2025, 2025
Short summary
Shipping and algae emissions have a major impact on ambient air mixing ratios of non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) and methanethiol on Utö Island in the Baltic Sea
Heidi Hellén, Rostislav Kouznetsov, Kaisa Kraft, Jukka Seppälä, Mika Vestenius, Jukka-Pekka Jalkanen, Lauri Laakso, and Hannele Hakola
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 4717–4731, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4717-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4717-2024, 2024
Short summary

Cited articles

Aalto, J., Kolari, P., Hari, P., Kerminen, V.-M., Schiestl-Aalto, P., Aaltonen, H., Levula, J., Siivola, E., Kulmala, M., and Bäck, J.: New foliage growth is a significant, unaccounted source for volatiles in boreal evergreen forests, Biogeosciences, 11, 1331–1344, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-1331-2014, 2014. 
Ahlberg E.: BVOC emissions from a subarctic Mountain birch: Analysis of shortterm chamber measurements. Department of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Physical Geography and Ecosystems Analysis, Lund University, Seminar series nr 204, 2011. 
Bäck, J., Aalto, J., Henriksson, M., Hakola, H., He, Q., and Boy, M.: Chemodiversity of a Scots pine stand and implications for terpene air concentrations, Biogeosciences, 9, 689–702, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-9-689-2012, 2012. 
Be, A. G., Upshur, M. A., Liu, P., Martin, S. T., Geiger, F. M., and Thompson, R. J.: Cloud activation potentials for atmospheric a-pinene and b-caryophyllene ozonolysis products, ACS Central Science, 3, 715–725, https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.7b00112, 2017. 
Beck, P., Caudullo, G., de Rigo, D., and Tinner, W.: Betula pendula, Betula pubescens and other birches in Europe: distribution, habitat, usage and threats, in: European Atlas of Forest Tree Species, edited by: San-Miguel-Ayanz, J., de Rigo, D., Caudullo, G., Houston Durrant, T., and Mauri, A., Publications Office of the EU, Luxembourg, Luxembourg, e010226+, 2016. 
Download
Short summary
Even though terpene emissions of boreal needle trees have been studied quite intensively, there is less knowledge of the emissions of broadleaved deciduous trees and emissions of larger terpenes and oxygenated volatile organic compounds. Here we studied downy birch (Betula pubescens) emissions, and especially sesquiterpene and oxygenated sesquiterpene emissions were found to be high. These emissions may have significant effects on secondary organic aerosol formation in boreal areas.
Share
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint