Biogenic emissions from Pinus halepensis:: a typical species of the Mediterranean area

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions by vegetation present in the Mediterranean area are not well known. They may contribute with anthropogenic VOC emissions to the tropospheric ozone formation that reaches important level in the European Mediterranean region. The present work, carried out as part of the European ESCOMPTE project <>, adds a new contribution to the inventory of the main natural hydrocarbons sources likely to participate in the ozone production. The corresponding measurement campaign was conducted in La Barben, a site close to Marseilles (France), with the aim to quantify the terpenic emission pattern and the behaviour of Pinus halepensis, an important Mediterranean species slightly studied. The determination of biogenic emissions from P. halepensis was done by the enclosure of an intact branch in a Teflon cuvette. Main emitted monoterpenes were beta trans-ocimene and linalool. The total monoterpenic emission rates thus recorded were found to reach maximum values around 30 mug g(dry weight)(-1) h(-1). The normalized emission rates calculated at 30 degreesC and 1000 mumol m(-2) s(-1) with Guenther's algorithm was 14.76, 8.65 and 4.05 mug g(dry weight)(-1) h(-1), respectively, for the total monoterpenes, beta trans-ocimene and linalool. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.