A reassessment of the budget of formic and acetic acids in the boundary layer at Dumont d'Urville (coastal Antarctica): The role of penguin emissions on the budget of several oxygenated volatile organic compounds

Initiated in 1997, the year-round study of formic and acetic acids was maintained until 2011 at the coastal Antarctic site of Dumont d'Urville. The records show that formic and acetic acids are rather abundant in summer with typical mixing ratios of 200 pptv and 700 pptv, respectively. With the aim to constrain their budget, investigations of their potential marine precursors like short-chain alkenes and acetaldehyde were initiated in 2011. Acetic acid levels in December 2010 were four times higher than those observed over summers back to 1997. These unusually high levels were accompanied by unusually high levels of ammonia, and by an enrichment of oxalate in aerosols. These observations suggest that the guano decomposition in the large penguin colonies present at the site was particularly strong under weather conditions encountered in spring 2010 (important snow storms followed by sunny days with mild temperatures). Although being dependent on environmental conditions, this process greatly impacts the local atmospheric budget of acetic acid, acetaldehyde, and acetone during the entire summer season. Present at levels as high as 500 pptv, acetaldehyde may represent the major precursor of acetic acid, alkene-ozone reactions remaining insignificant sources. Far less influenced by penguin emissions, the budget of formic acid remains not fully understood even if alkene-ozone reactions contribute significantly.