Condensed atmospheric photooxidation mechanisms for isoprene

Abstract Two condensed mechanisms for the atmospheric reactions of isoprene, which differ in the number of species used to represent isoprene's reactive products, have been developed for use in ambient air quality modehng. They are based on a detailed isoprene mechanism that has recently been developed and extensively evaluated against environmental chamber data. The new condensed mechanisms give very close predictions to those of the detailed mechanism for ozone, OH radicals, nitric acid, H2O2, formaldehyde, total PANS, and for incremental effects of isoprene on ozone formation in one day simulations. The effects of the condensations become somewhat greater in multi-day simulations, particularly in cases where NO3 reactions are important at nighttime, but the ozone predictions are still very close. On the other hand, the SAPRC-90, RADM-2, and Carbon Bond IV isoprene mechanisms give quite different predictions of these quantities. It is recommended that the new mechanisms replace those currently used in airshed simulations where isoprene emissions are important.