Intervention of pollution episodes from nearby sawmills to ecosystem-atmosphere interactions studied in a boreal forest at SMEAR II

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Abstract

Some atmospheric compounds are emitted by both natural and anthropogenic sources, making them hard to distinguish. For instance, sawmills emit large amounts of volatile organic compounds, which are released from wood in different processing stages. SMEAR II (Station for Measuring Ecosystem–Atmosphere Relations) is located near sawmills in Korkeakoski (6 km southeast from SMEAR II) and Vilppula (21 km northeast from SMEAR II). Long-term measurements show that monoterpene concentrations were more than three times higher when the wind was from the Korkeakoski direction. Concentrations of NOx, O3, and Aitken mode-sized particles were also impacted by the sawmills. Perturbations were less clear from the Vilppula direction, likely because it was less frequent wind direction, and the transport distance was longer. We recommend considering the influence of the sawmills on the above-mentioned variables in future analyses of biosphere–atmosphere interactions, to avoid a distinct anthropogenic influence from the nearest sawmills.

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