Estimating biogenic non-methane hydrocarbon emissions for the Wasatch Front through a high-resolution, gridded, biogenic volatile organic compound emissions inventory (Utah)

During the past few years, monitoring sites along the Wasatch Front reported ground-level concentrations of ozone exceeding both the 1-hour and proposed 8-hour National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Biogenic (natural) volatile organic compounds emitted from plants have been shown to have the potential to increase the formation of ozone and other photochemical products.; In order to better estimate the vegetative emissions of photochemically reactive hydrocarbons along the Wasatch Front, a high-resolution, 30-meter gridded biogenic emissions inventory was created using remotely sensed data. Local vegetative survey information was also used to help reduce some of the uncertainty in predicting plant species composition and frequency.; Isoprene emissions computed for the study area from the high-resolution inventory were 65% higher than isoprene estimates from the second version of the U.S. ERA's currently recommended inventory, Biogenic Emissions Landcover Database (BELD 2). This high-resolution emissions inventory also better characterized the spatial distribution of biogenic hydrocarbon emissions within the study area.