Study examines importance of atmospheric pyruvic acid in northern boreal forest environment

The research is based on the first measurements of pyruvic acid (C3H4O3) content in the atmosphere in a boreal forest at the University of Helsinki SMEAR II Forestry Field Station in Hyytiälä.

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The study showed that when the measurements were made, the main source of acetaldehyde (CH3CHO) in the atmosphere of the boreal forest was the photodegradation of pyruvic acid - a photochemical reaction in which photons cause a compound to decay. The results will make it possible to describe these processes in greater detail in the future.

More information:

Researcher Ville Vakkari, Finnish Meteorological Institute, tel. 050 4076133, ville.vakkari@fmi.fi

Eger, P. G., Vereecken, L., Sander, R., Schuladen, J., Sobanski, N., Fischer, H., Karu, E., Williams, J., Vakkari, V., Petäjä, T., Lelieveld, J., Pozzer, A., and Crowley, J. N.: Impact of pyruvic acid photolysis on acetaldehyde and peroxy radical formation in the boreal forest: theoretical calculations and model results, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 14333–14349, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14333-2021, 2021.

Scientific article available here

Science newsBoreal forestAtmospheric chemistry