Characterization of C2-C4NMHCs distributions at a high altitude tropical site in India

Air samples were collected covering a full diurnal cycle during each month of the year 2002 at a mountaintop of Mt. Abu (24.6 degrees N, 72.7 degrees E, 1680 amsl). These samples were analyzed for C-2-C-4 NMHCs using a gas chromatograph (GC) equipped with flame ionization detector (FID). The seasonally averaged diurnal distributions of these NMHCs do not show significant variations in the summer season. While sharp peaks in the diurnal variation of some species during evening hours are additional features apart from higher levels in all NMHCs in the winter season. The seasonal variations in relatively long lived species (e.g. ethane, propane and acetylene) are observed to be more pronounced compared to those in reactive species (e.g. ethene, propene and butanes). The seasonal changes in transport patterns seem to be more dominant factor at this site for the observed variations in NMHCs than changes in OH radical concentration. The annual mean mixing ratios of ethane, ethene, propane, propene, i-butane, acetylene, and n-butane are 1.22 +/- 0.58, 0.34 +/- 0.24, 0.46 +/- 0.20, 0.17 +/- 0.14, 0.21 +/- 0.18, 0.41 +/- 0.43, and 0.31 +/- 0.35 ppbv, respectively. Only few pairs of NMHCs are observed to show good correlations, mainly due to transport of air masses with different degree of photochemical processing. A comparison of this measurement with data reported for other remote sites of the globe indicates lower levels of light NMHCs in the tropical sites. The annual mean mixing ratios of various C-2-C-4 NMHCs at Mt. Abu are lower by factors ranging between 3 to 9 compared to a nearest urban site of Ahmedabad. The annual mean propylene (propene) equivalent concentrations of about 1.12 and 8.62 ppbC were calculated for Mt. Abu and Ahmedabad, respectively.