A new approach for eddy covariance flux measurements is developed and applied for trace gas fluxes in the atmospheric surface layer. In disjunct eddy covariance technique, quick samples with a relatively long time interval between them are taken instead of continuously sampling air. This subset of the time series together with vertical wind velocity data at corresponding sampling times can be correlated to give a flux. The disjunct eddy sampling gives more time to analyze the trace gas concentrations and thus makes eddy covariance measurements possible using slower sensors. In this study a proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometer with response time of about 1 second was used with a disjunct eddy sampler to measure fluxes of volatile organic compounds from an alfalfa field. The measured day-time maximum methanol fluxes ranged from 1 mg m-2 h-1 from uncut alfalfa to 8 mg m-2 h-1 from freshly cut alfalfa. Night-time fluxes were around zero.

There is interest in and significant uncertainty about the emissions of oxygenated volatile organic compounds (oxVOCs) from vegetation to the atmosphere. Here, we measured the fluxes of selected oxVOCs from an alfalfa field, before, during, and after cutting, using a combination of disjunct eddy covariance and proton‐transfer‐reaction mass spectrometry. Over the course of 1 day a significant methanol flux of 4 mg m−2 h−1 was observed from undisturbed alfalfa with a maximum at 0800 LT, possibly caused by the evaporation of dew. A smaller release of hexenals during this day (0.04 mg m−2 h−1) demonstrated the sensitivity of the method. Other results suggested that acetaldehyde and acetone were released in the afternoon but were lost by dry deposition in the evening and morning; deposition velocities were estimated to be 0.2 cm s−1 (acetaldehyde) and 0.09 cm s−1 (acetone). After the alfalfa was cut the emissions of methanol, acetaldehyde, acetone, and hexenals were significantly enhanced and remained high for three days during which the alfalfa was drying. After a rainstorm the oxVOC emissions from the cut, wet alfalfa increased even more. Nighttime measurements yielded low oxVOC fluxes in general, but the high variability of the concentrations during the night and the high degree of correlation between different oxVOCs suggest that the nighttime releases of oxVOCs from alfalfa were nonzero. This work suggests that the global source of oxVOCs due to the production of hay is of minor importance. The emission flux of methanol from vegetation during the growing season may be very large on a global basis.