Acetylene (C2H2) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) from IASI satellite observations: global distribution, validation, and comparison with model.

International audienceWe present global distributions of C2H2 and HCN total columns derived from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI). These distributions are obtained with a fast method allowing to retrieve C2H2 abundance globally with a 5% precision and HCN abundance in the tropical (subtropical) belt with a 10% (30%) precision. IASI data are compared for validation purposes with ground-based Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer measurements at four selected stations. We show that there is an overall agreement between the ground-based and space measurements. Global C2H2 and subtropical HCN abundances retrieved from IASI spectra show the expected seasonality linked to variations in the anthropogenic emissions and seasonal biomass burning activity, as well as exceptional events, and are in good agreement with previous spaceborne studies. IASI measurements are also compared to the distributions from the Model for Ozone and Related Chemical Tracers, version 4 (MOZART-4). Seasonal cycles observed from satellite data are reasonably well reproduced by the model. However, the model seems to overestimate (underestimate) anthropogenic (biomass burning) emissions and a negative global mean bias of 1% (16 %) of the model relative to the satellite observations was found for C2H2 (HCN)