Abstract
Emission rates of reduced sulfur gases from vegetation and soils were measured in various regions of the United States during the summer of 1985. The predominant sulfur gases emitted were hydrogen sulfide, carbonyl sulfide and dimethylsulfide. Typically, vegetative (forests, crops, etc.) emission fluxes varied between approximately 10 and 60 ng S m-2 min-1. Biogenic sulfur fluxes from mollisol and histisol soils averaged 15 and 217 ng S m-2 min-1, respectively. Salt water marsh fluxes with a geometric mean of 293 ng S m-2 min-1 were the highest measured. These biogenic sulfur fluxes are somewhat lower than those measured during the SURE study at some of the same sites. The natural sulfur emission fluxes reported herein together with those data included in the two accompanying manuscripts provide the basis for developing a national inventory of reduced sulfur emissions from soils, crops and trees. When combined these data also will provide a foundation for deriving uncertainty limits associated with these flux estimates.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adams, D., Farwell, S., Robinson, E., and Pack, M. 1980, Biogenic sulfur emissions in the SURE region, EPRI Report WA-1516, Palo Alto, CA.
Adams, D., Farwell, S., Robinson, E., Pack, M., and Bamesberger, L., 1981, Biogenic sulfur source strengths.Environ. Sci. Tech. 15, 1494–1498.
Aneja, V., Overton, J., Cupitt, L., Durham, J., and Wilson, W., 1979, Direct measurements of emission rates of some atmospheric biogenic sulfur compounds,Tellus 31, 174–178.
Aneja, V., Overton, J., and Aneja, A., 1981, Emission survey of biogenic sulfur flux from terrestrial surfaces,J. Air. Pollut. Assoc. 31, 256–258.
Axelrod, H., Cary, J., Bonelli, J., and Lodge, J., 1969, Fluorescence determination of sub-parts per billion hydrogen sulfide in the atmosphere,Anal. Chem. 41, 1856–1858.
Brown, K. A. and Bell, J. N. B., 1986, Vegetation—the missing sink in the global cycle of carbonyl sulphide (COS),Atmos. Environ. 20, 537–540.
Carroll, M. A., 1983, An experimental study of the fluxes of reduced sulfur gases from a salt water marsh, Ph.D. Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA; Coop Thesis 73; National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO.
Delmas, R. Baudet, J., Servant, J., and Baziard, Y., 1980, Emissions and concentrations of hydrogen sulfide in the air of the tropical forest of the Ivory Coast and of temperate regions in France,J. Geophys. Res. 85, 4463–4474.
Dilts, S., 1985, Field studies of natural atmospheric sulfur gases. Part I: Biogenic sulfur emissions from trees. Part II: Boundary layer sulfur gas measurements in the Antarctic, M.S. Thesis, Washington State University, Pullman, WA.
Farwell, S., 1985, personal communication, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID.
Georgii, H. W., 1978, Large seale spatial and temporal distributions of sulfur compounds,Atmos. Environ. 12, 681–690.
Goldan, P. D., Kuster, W. C., Albritton, D. L., and Fehsenfeld, F. C., 1987, The measurement of natural sulfur emissions from soils and vegetation: Three sites in the eastern United States revisited,J. Atmos. Chem. 5, 439–467.
Goldberg, A., Marouliss, P., Wilner, L., and Bandy, A., 1981, Study of H2S emissions from a salt water marsh,Atmos. Environ. 15, 11–18.
Hansen, M., Ingvorsen, K., and Jorgensen, B., 1978, Mechanisms of hydrogen sulfide release from coastal marine sediments to the atmosphere,Limnol. Oceanogr. 23, 68–76.
Jaeschke, W., 1978, New methods for the analysis of SO2 and H2S in remote areas and their application to the atmosphere,Atmos. Environ. 12, 715–721.
Jaeschke, W., and Herrmann, J., 1981, Measurements of H2S in the atmosphere,Int. J. Environ. Anal. Chem. 10, 107–120.
Lovelock, J., Maggs, R., and Rasmussen, R., 1972, Atmospheric dimethyl sulfide and the natural sulfur cycle,Nature 237, 452.
McTaggert, D. L., Adams, D. F., and Farwell, S. O., 1987, Measurement of biogenic sulfur emissions from soils and vegetation using dynamic enclosure methods: Total sulfur gas fluxes via MFC/FD/FPD determinations,J. Atmos. Chem. 5, 417–437.
Natusch, D., Konis, H., Axelrod, H., Teck, R., and Lodge, J., 1972, Sensitive method for measurement of atmospheric hydrogen sulfide,Anal. Chem. 44, 2067–2070.
Steudler, P., and Peterson, B., 1985, Annual cycle of gaseous sulfur emissions from a New England Spartina alterniflora marsh,Atmos. Environ. 19, 1411–1416.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lamb, B., Westberg, H., Allwine, G. et al. Measurement of biogenic sulfur emissions from soils and vegetation: Application of dynamic enclosure methods with Natusch filter and GC/FPD analysis. J Atmos Chem 5, 469–491 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00113906
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00113906