title: Atmospheric benzenoid emissions from plants rival those from fossil fuels.
abstract: Despite the known biochemical production of a range of aromatic compounds by plants and the presence of benzenoids in floral scents, the emissions of only a few benzenoid compounds have been reported from the biosphere to the atmosphere. Here, using evidence from measurements at aircraft, ecosystem, tree, branch and leaf scales, with complementary isotopic labeling experiments, we show that vegetation (leaves, flowers, and phytoplankton) emits a wide variety of benzenoid compounds to the atmosphere at substantial rates. Controlled environment experiments show that plants are able to alter their metabolism to produce and release many benzenoids under stress conditions. The functions of these compounds remain unclear but may be related to chemical communication and protection against stress. We estimate the total global secondary organic aerosol potential from biogenic benzenoids to be similar to that from anthropogenic benzenoids (~10 Tg y(-1)), pointing to the importance of these natural emissions in atmospheric physics and chemistry.
authors.affiliation: 1] University of California Berkeley, Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA [2] National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry Division, Boulder, CO 80301, USA.
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Misztal
authors.affiliation: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK.
authors.forename: C N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Hewitt
authors.affiliation: Institut IBG-2, Phytosphäre, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wildt
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Blande
authors.affiliation: 1] CIRES, University of Colorado, Boulder CO 80309 USA [2] University of Colorado, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Boulder, Colorado 80309 USA.
authors.forename: A S D
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Eller
authors.affiliation: 1] University of California Berkeley, Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA [2] Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for the Soil-Plant System, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fares
authors.affiliation: 1] University of California Berkeley, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA [2] Yale University, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Gentner
authors.affiliation: 1] CIRES, University of Colorado, Boulder CO 80309 USA [2] ESRL-NOAA, Chemical Sciences Division, Boulder CO 80305 USA.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Gilman
authors.affiliation: 1] CIRES, University of Colorado, Boulder CO 80309 USA [2] ESRL-NOAA, Chemical Sciences Division, Boulder CO 80305 USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Graus
authors.affiliation: National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry Division, Boulder, CO 80301, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.affiliation: 1] National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry Division, Boulder, CO 80301, USA [2] Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division, Richland, WA, USA [3] Washington State University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pullman, WA, USA.
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Guenther
authors.affiliation: University of Innsbruck, Institute for Ion Physics and Applied Physics, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hansel
authors.affiliation: 1] National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry Division, Boulder, CO 80301, USA [2] Estonian University of Life Sciences, Department of Plant Physiology, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Harley
authors.affiliation: National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry Division, Boulder, CO 80301, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Climate Sciences Department, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jardine
authors.affiliation: University of Innsbruck, Institute of Atmospheric And Cryospheric Sciences, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Karl
authors.affiliation: 1] National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry Division, Boulder, CO 80301, USA [2] University of Innsbruck, Institute for Ion Physics and Applied Physics, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kaser
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
authors.forename: F N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Keutsch
authors.affiliation: Institut IEK-8, Troposphäre, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kiendler-Scharr
authors.affiliation: Institut IBG-2, Phytosphäre, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kleist
authors.affiliation: 1] CIRES, University of Colorado, Boulder CO 80309 USA [2] ESRL-NOAA, Chemical Sciences Division, Boulder CO 80305 USA.
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Lerner
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Stony Brook University, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mak
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institut für Chemie, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Nölscher
authors.affiliation: University of Innsbruck, Institute for Ion Physics and Applied Physics, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schnitzhofer
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, India.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sinha
authors.affiliation: University of Northern Colorado, School of Biological Sciences, Greeley, CO 80639, USA.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Thornton
authors.affiliation: 1] CIRES, University of Colorado, Boulder CO 80309 USA [2] ESRL-NOAA, Chemical Sciences Division, Boulder CO 80305 USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Warneke
authors.affiliation: University Bayreuth, AgroEcosystem Research, BAYCEER, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wegener
authors.affiliation: University Bayreuth, AgroEcosystem Research, BAYCEER, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institut für Chemie, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: 1] University of California Berkeley, Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA [2] Aerosol Dynamics Inc., Berkeley, CA, 94710, USA.
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Worton
authors.affiliation: 1] USTHB, University of Sciences and Technology Houari Boumediene, Faculty of Chemistry, Algiers, Algeria [2] Centre de Développement des Energies Renouvelable, CDER, Algiers, Algeria.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yassaa
authors.affiliation: University of California Berkeley, Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Goldstein
mesh_terms: D001272:Atmosphere / Q000032:analysis*; D001554:Benzene / Q000737:chemistry*; D002980:Climate; D017753:Ecosystem; D005579:Fossil Fuels / Q000032:analysis*; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000502:physiology; D014197:Trees / Q000378:metabolism*; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005579:Fossil Fuels; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds; D001554:Benzene