The contribution of ocean-leaving DMS to the global atmospheric burdens of DMS, MSA, SO2, and NSS SO4=

• Published in: Global Biogeochemical Cycles
• Main Authors: Gondwe, M., Krol, M., Gieskes, W., Klaassen, W., de Baar, H.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2003
• Subjects: global biogeochemical cycles; dimethylsulphide; sulphate aerosols; phytoplankton; climate regulation; SOLAS; SEA-SALT-SULFATE; BIOGENIC SULFUR EMISSIONS; TROPICAL SOUTH-ATLANTIC; CLOUD CONDENSATION NUCLEI; COMMUNITY CLIMATE MODEL; WESTERN NORTH-ATLANTIC; MARINE BOUNDARY-LAYER; DIMETHYL-SULFIDE; PACIFIC-OCEAN; METHANESULFONIC-ACID; Pacific; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/11370/df47abaa-008f-4665-b129-dc526a0ea86b; https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/df47abaa-008f-4665-b129-dc526a0ea86b; https://doi.org/10.1029/2002GB001937; https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/66841306/Gondwe_et_al_2003_Global_Biogeochemical_Cycles_1_.pdf

[1] The contribution of ocean-derived DMS to the atmospheric burdens of a variety of sulphur compounds (DMS, MSA, SO2, and nss SO4=) is quantified from season to season. Such quantification, especially for nss SO4= (the climate-relevant product of DMS oxidation), is essential for the quantification of the radiative forcing of climate that may be attributable to marine phytoplankton under possible future climate conditions. Three-dimensional chemical transport modeling up to the stratosphere is used as a tool in realizing this aim. Global data sets on oceanic and terrestrial sulphur sources are used as input. We find that the contribution of ocean-leaving DMS to the global annually averaged column burdens of the modeled compounds is considerable: 11.9 mumol m(-2) (98% of total global burden) for DMS; 0.95 mumol m(-2) (94% of total global burden) for MSA; 2.8 mumol m(-2) (32% of total global burden) for SO2 and 2.5 mumol m(-2) (18% of total global burden) for nss SO4=. The mean annual contribution of DMS to the climate-relevant nss SO4= column burden is greatest in the relatively pristine Southern Hemisphere, where it is estimated at 43%. This contribution is only 9% in the Northern Hemisphere, where anthropogenic sulphur sources are overwhelming. The marine algal-derived input of the other modeled sulphur compounds ( DMS, MSA, and SO2) is also greatest in the Southern Hemisphere where a lower oxidative capacity of the atmosphere, a larger sea-to-air transfer of DMS and a larger emission surface area lead to an elevation of the atmospheric DMS burden.