The influence of biogenic emissions on upper-tropospheric methanol as revealed from space

G. Dufour (1) , Sophie Laval-Szopa (2) , D. A. Hauglustaine (2) , C. D. Boone (3) , C. P. Rinsland (4) , P. F. Bernath (3, 5)

1 LMD - Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539)
2 LSCE - Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement [Gif-sur-Yvette]
3 Department of Chemistry [Waterloo]
4 LaRC - NASA Langley Research Center [Hampton]
5 Deparment of Chemistry

The distribution and budget of oxygenated organic compounds in the atmosphere and their impact on tropospheric chemistry are still poorly constrained. Near-global space-borne measurements of seasonally resolved upper tropospheric profiles of methanol by the ACE Fourier transform spectrometer provide a unique opportunity to evaluate our understanding of this important oxygenated organic species. The comparison with distributions simulated by a state-of-the-art chemistry transport model shows fair agreement during the March 2004 to August 2005 period with about 50% of the measurements reproduced by the model within 50%. However, in the northern hemisphere and during summertime, the satellite measurements reveal that the emissions from the continental biosphere lead to upper-tropospheric methanol concentrations significantly higher than expected.

Domaines: Océan, Atmosphère

G. Dufour, Sophie Laval-Szopa, D. A. Hauglustaine, C. D. Boone, C. P. Rinsland, et al.. The influence of biogenic emissions on upper-tropospheric methanol as revealed from space. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions, 2007, 7 (3), pp.9183-9202. ⟨hal-00328210v1⟩