Simulation of Isoprene Emission with Satellite Microwave Emissivity Difference Vegetation Index as Water Stress Factor in Southeastern China during 2008

Abstract

Isoprene is one of the most important biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) emitted by vegetation. The biogenic isoprene emissions are widely estimated by the Model of Emission of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN) considering different environmental stresses. The response of isoprene emission to the water stress is usually parameterized using soil moisture in previous studies. In this study, we designed a new parameterization scheme of water stress in MEGAN as a function of a novel, satellite, passive microwave-based vegetation index, Emissivity Difference Vegetation Index (EDVI), which indicates the vegetation inner water content. The isoprene emission rates in southeastern China were simulated with different water stress indicators including soil moisture, EDVI, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI). Then the simulated isoprene emission rates were compared to associated satellite top-down estimations. The results showed that in southeastern China, the spatiotemporal correlations between those simulations and top-down retrieval are all high with different biases. The simulated isoprene emission rates with EDVI-based water stress factor are most consistent with top-down estimation with higher temporal correlation, lower bias and lower RMSE, while soil moisture alters the emission rates little, and optical vegetation indices (NDVI and EVI) slightly increase the correlation with top-down. The temporal correlation coefficients are increased after applied with EDVI water stress factor in most areas; especially in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and Yangtze River Delta (>0.12). Overall, higher consistency of simulation and top-down estimation is shown when EDVI is applied, which indicates the possibility of estimating the effect of vegetation water stress on biogenic isoprene emission using microwave observations.