Seasonal variation in the biogenic secondary organic aerosol tracer cis-pinonic acid: Enhancement due to emissions from regional and local biomass burning

Studies have demonstrated that cis-pinonic acid (CPA) is an important product from the oxidation of pinenes with ozone. CPA has been measured on aerosols and is used as an aging indicator for secondary organic aerosols (SOA). CPA levels and formation in urban aerosols and its annual variability, however, are still poorly understood. Here, we present monthly CPA average concentrations on aerosols in Toronto, Ontario, Canada based on a two-year-period: 2000–2001. They displayed a seasonal pattern associated with temperature and ozone (O3) plus nitrogen dioxide (NO2) reflecting the influence these have on emissions of pinenes from forests and their atmospheric oxidation, respectively. However, in Toronto some months with higher CPA concentrations, especially in the winter, were inconsistent with the seasonality of temperature or/and O3 + NO2 levels. Instead these deviations were associated with increases in wood burning tracers such as dehydroabietic acid (DHAA) and sugars. Similar features were observed during a two-week-period comparing day and nighttime CPA concentrations in the Lower Fraser Valley (LFV) of British Columbia, Canada, in that the CPA concentrations clearly varied diurnally with temperature and O3 + NO2 on some days, but also showed a significant correspondence with variations in the wood burning tracer concentrations, such as levoglucosan. These findings demonstrate that CPA formation is strongly impacted by wood burning activity.

► Monthly and daily variation of cis-pinonic acid (CPA) in aerosols was examined.
► CPA displayed a seasonal and diurnal pattern.
► CPA concentrations were associated with temperature and O3 plus NO2.
► Enhanced CPA levels were associated with biomass burning tracers.
► CPA enhancement due to emissions from regional and local biomass burning.