Global ocean-to-atmosphere dimethyl sulfide flux

Journal Article · Sun May 20 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JD095iD06p07543· OSTI ID:5030084

Erickson, III, D J ^[1]; Ghan, S J; Penner, J E ^[2]

---

1. Univ. of California, San Diego, La Jolla (United States)
2. Lawrence Livermore National Lab., Livermore, CA (United States)

The global ocean-to-atmosphere flux of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) is calculated on a monthly basis with 4.5{degree} {times} 7.5{degree} latitude/longitude spatial resolution. An atmospheric general circulation model, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Climate Model 1 (CCM1) is used to drive algorithms pertinent to the air-sea exchange of DMS. The cloud and radiation package in the CCM1 provides estimates of the solar radiation impinging on the surface ocean, which is then related to the flux of DMS from the ocean to the atmosphere on the basis of the empirical data of Bates et al. (1987a). The computed DMS flux values vary globally from 0.5 to 5.5 {mu}mol/m{sup 2} d. A globally integrated ocean-to-atmosphere flux of 15 Tg S/yr (as DMS) is computed. To examine the global applicability of the solar radiation-DMS flux relationship, the DMS flux fields are scaled by the independently computed transfer velocity fields so as to obtain global maps of surface ocean DMS concentration at the resolution of the model. The computed surface ocean DMS concentrations vary from 2 to 150 nl/l. with highest values predicted near equatorial regions and adjacent to summer hemisphere polar regions, areas with relatively low climatological wind speeds. The oceanic DMS concentrations computed here agree with the experimental data in those regions not impacted by high biological productivity. In those areas of relatively high oceanic productivity the solar radiation-DMS flux relationship underestimates the ocean-to-atmosphere DMS flux and the subsequently computed surface ocean DMS concentrations.

• OSTI ID: 5030084
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Vol. 95:D6; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
SEAS
DEGASSING
ALGORITHMS
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION
BIOMASS
CLOUDS
CORRELATIONS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
EQUATOR
GENERAL CIRCULATION MODELS
GLOBAL ASPECTS
OCEANIC CIRCULATION
POLAR REGIONS
PRODUCTIVITY
SOLAR RADIATION
SULFUR CYCLE
CHEMISTRY
ENERGY SOURCES
MASS TRANSFER
MATHEMATICAL LOGIC
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
RADIATIONS
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
STELLAR RADIATION
SURFACE WATERS
540310* - Environment
Aquatic- Basic Studies- (1990-)
540110