Seasonal isoprene emission estimates over tropical South America inferred from satellite observations of isoprene

Abstract. Isoprene, a volatile organic compound (VOC) emitted by plants, plays a significant role in atmospheric chemistry and climate. The Amazon rainforest is a globally relevant source of atmospheric isoprene. We report isoprene emissions inferred from a full-physics retrieval of isoprene columns from the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) and the local sensitivities between isoprene emissions and isoprene columns determined by the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model. Compared with the Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN) isoprene emissions, the isoprene emission estimates inferred from CrIS have different spatial and seasonal distributions with generally lower emission rates but higher emission rates over the northern Amazon basin and southeast Brazil. The observed mean isoprene concentration at the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO), March–December 2019, is 3.0 ± 2.2 ppbv, which is reproduced better by the GEOS-Chem model driven by isoprene emissions inferred from CrIS (2.8 ± 1.4 ppbv) than by the MEGAN inventory (4.1 ± 1.3 ppbv). Isoprene emission estimates inferred from CrIS generally agree better than MEGAN with in situ observations of seasonal isoprene fluxes over the Amazon. GEOS-Chem model formaldehyde (HCHO) columns, corresponding to isoprene emissions inferred from CrIS, are generally more consistent with TROPOMI data (normalized mean error, NME = 43 %) than the HCHO columns corresponding to MEGAN isoprene emissions (NME = 50 %), as expected. CrIS-inferred isoprene emission rates can vary by ±20 % considering potential model biases in nitrogen oxide emissions. Our results provide confidence that we can use CrIS data to examine future impacts of anthropogenic activities on isoprene emissions from the Amazon.