Comparing modeled isoprene with aircraft-based measurements in the atmospheric boundary layer.

Nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) are involved in a complex series of reactions that regulate the levels of oxidants in the troposphere. Isoprene (C{sub 5}H{sub 8}), the primary NMHC emitted from deciduous trees, is one of the most important reactive hydrocarbons in the troposphere. The amount of isoprene entering the free troposphere is regulated by the compound's rate of emission from leaves and by chemical and physical processes in the forest canopy and the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). This study uses a coupled canopy-ABL model to simulate these complex processes and compares calculated isoprene concentration profiles with those measured during aircraft flights above a forested region in the northeastern US. Land use information is coupled with satellite remote sensing data to describe spatial changes in canopy density during the field measurements. The high-resolution transport-chemistry model of Gao et al. (1993) for the ABL and the forest canopy layer is used to simulate vertical changes in isoprene concentration due to turbulent mixing and chemical reactions. The one-dimensional (1-D) ABL model includes detailed radiation transfer, turbulent diffusion, biogenic emissions, dry deposition, and chemical processes within the forest canopy and the ABL. The measured profiles are compared with the model simulations to investigate the biological, physical, and chemical processes that regulate the levels of isoprene within the ABL