Linking OMI HCHO and MODIS PRI satellite data with BVOCS emissions in NE Spain

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play several important roles on tropospheric chemical composition. Biogenic VOCs (BVOCs) are the largest source of NMVOCs (non-methane VOCs), accounting for the release of up to 10% of total C fixed by plants in photosynthesis. As isoprene is often the dominant source of atmospheric formaldehyde (HCHO) detected using satellite sensors, it is often correlated directly to satellite HCHO observations without accounting for other HCHO sources. Here we investigate the importance of quantifying monoterpene emissions when linking remotely sensed HCHO vertical columns to terrestrial BVOCs emissions at four different ecosystems in NE Spain where monoterpene-isoprene emissions ratios are known to be unusually high. Average HCHO yield for present monoterpenes was approximately 29% compared to 45% for isoprene. Including monoterpene HCHO yield contributions in total atmospheric HCHO concentrations improved correlations from R
²
of 0.35 to 0.66 and R
²
of 0.56 to 0.89 when comparing OMI HCHO and MODIS PRI satellite with HCHO field measurements, respectively.