Biological production of methyl bromide in the coastal waters of the North Sea and open ocean of the northeast Atlantic

• Main Authors: Baker, J M, Reeves, C W, Nightingale, P D, Penkett, S A, Hatton, Angela, Gibb, Stuart l
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 1999
• Subjects: MOLECULAR-WEIGHT HALOCARBONS; HALOGENATED ORGANIC-COMPOUNDS; PHAEOCYSTIS; Chemistry; Multidisciplinary; BLOOM; CULTURES; ICE-ALGAE; DIMETHYL SULFIDE; SULFUR EMISSIONS; Oceanography; GREENLAND SEA; ATMOSPHERIC CH3BR; Greenland; Greenland Sea; ice algae; Northeast Atlantic
• Online Access: https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/en/publications/7c21448e-db39-48c3-b4af-d4779fef8fe5

Two separate studies in different oceanic regions provide evidence for the production of methyl bromide (CH3Br) by the prymnesiophyte Phaeocystis. A sampling program to study the seasonal cycle of CH3Br in a coastal area demonstrated that the seawater was supersaturated with respect to CH3Br for over 3 months of the year. The greatest saturation was observed during a bloom of Phaeocystis, Also, in situ field measurements demonstrated that CH3Br was supersaturated over a large region of the northeast Atlantic. A positive correlation was observed between CH3Br and dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP), indicating that there was a source common to both compounds. An accessory pigment, hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin, which indicates the presence of prymnesiophytes, also correlated positively with CH3Br. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.