Measurements of Volatile Organic Compound Sources and Ambient Concentrations in South-East Australia

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are involved in tropospheric ozone production and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation and therefore have important im plications for regional air quality. Globally, tropospheric ozone and SOA also impact climate through radiation and climate forcing. Our current understanding of changing ozone concentrations and of aerosol formation and composition over Australia is limited, in part, by a lack of measurements of typical concentrations of VOCs, and of the sources and processes governing these concentrations. This pro ject aimed to further our understanding of VOCs in Australia through two approaches: (1) direct determination of VOC emissions at the source and (2) continuous ambient measurements. In both approaches, VOCs were measured using chemical ionisation mass spectrometry.