Boreal wetlands are a significant source of isoprene and terpenes, a class of highly reactive organic compounds that have a substantial impact on the Earth’s climate, according to a new study led by the University of Eastern Finland and published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.
Boreal wetlands are a significant source of isoprene and terpenes, a class of highly reactive organic compounds that have a substantial impact on the Earth’s climate, according to a new study led by the University of Eastern Finland and published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. The study was conducted in collaboration between the University of Eastern Finland, the University of Helsinki, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research in Spain, and the University of California Irvine in the US.
The researchers used a combination of field measurements and modelling to investigate the emission rates of isoprene and terpenes from boreal wetlands. Boreal wetlands cover a substantial fraction of the land mass in the northern latitudes, from northern Europe to Siberia and Canada. The team found that these emissions are much higher than previously thought and that they exhibit a particularly strong exponential temperature response, making boreal wetlands a potentially significant source of these compounds due to global warming.
Read more at: University of Eastern Finland
Photo Credit: Lejish Vettikkat
