The first global simultaneous observations of glyoxal (CHOCHO) and formaldehyde (HCHO) columns retrieved from measurements by the Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Cartography (SCIAMACHY) satellite instrument are presented and compared to model calculations. The global pattern of the distribution of CHOCHO is similar to that of HCHO. High values are observed over areas with large biogenic isoprene emissions (Central Africa, parts of South America, and Indonesia). Also regions with biomass burning and anthropogenic pollution exhibit elevated levels of CHOCHO. The ratio of the columns of CHOCHO to HCHO is generally of the order of 0.05 in regions having biogenic emissions, which is in reasonable agreement with the current understanding of the oxidation of hydrocarbons emitted by the biosphere. However and in contrast to our model, high values of both HCHO and CHOCHO are also observed over areas of the tropical oceans. This is tentatively attributed to outflow from the continents and local oceanic biogenic sources of the precursors of HCHO and CHOCHO.