DMS sea-to-air fluxes and their influence on sulfate aerosols over the Southern Ocean, south-east Indian Ocean and north-west Pacific Ocean

Abstract

Environmental context The ocean-produced dimethyl sulfide (DMS) molecule is thought to affect cloud formation and the solar radiation budget at the Earth’s surface, hence playing an important role in regulating climate. In this study, we calculated the DMS sea-to-air flux across the Southern Ocean, south-east Indian Ocean and north-west Pacific Ocean, and analysed the influence of DMS fluxes on sulfate aerosols. These results improved our understanding of the effects of DMS emissions on sulfate compounds in the atmosphere over the global ocean. Abstract Oceanic dimethyl sulfide (DMS) is the most abundant biogenic sulfur compound emitted into the atmosphere and could indirectly regulate the global climate by impacting end product sulfate aerosols. DMS emissions and their influence on sulfate aerosols, i.e. methanesulfonic acid (MSA) and non-sea-salt sulfate (nss-SO42–), were investigated over the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean sectors of the Southern Ocean (SO), the south-east Indian Ocean, and the north-west Pacific Ocean from February to April 2014 during the 30th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition. We found a strong large-scale DMS source in the marginal sea ice zone from 34 °W to 14 °E of the SO (south of 60 °S), in which the mean flux was 49.0 ± 65.6 μmol m−2 d−1 (0.6–308.3 μmol m−2 d−1, n = 424). We also found a second large-scale DMS source in the South Subtropical Front (~40 °S, up to 50.8 μmol m−2 d−1). An inconsistency between concentrations of atmospheric sulfate compounds and DMS emissions along the cruise track was observed. The horizontal advection of air masses was likely the main reason for this discrepancy. Finally, the biological exposure calculation results also indicated that it is very difficult to observe a straightforward relationship between oceanic biomass and atmospheric MSA.