Spatial variability of dimethylsulfide (DMS) and dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) in the southern Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

Environmental context. Dimethylsulfide (DMS), the main biogenic sulfur compound in the atmosphere, is produced by the marine biosphere and plays an important role in the atmospheric sulfur cycle. This study recorded the spatial variability of DMS and dissolved and particulate dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) in the water column of the southern Gulf of Mexico. The results suggest that the spatial variability of DMS and DMSP is directly related to the hydrodynamics of the study area.Abstract. The spatial variability of dimethylsulfide (DMS) and dissolved and particulate dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSPd and DMSPp) was recorded in the southern Gulf of Mexico at three different depths (10, 30 and 60 m) in January 2013. DMS and DMSP values were recorded through solid-phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography. Average concentrations of DMS (2.8 AE 1.5 nM), DMSPd (1.7 AE 0.9 nM) and DMSPp (352 AE 157 nM) were significantly correlated with chlorophyll-a concentrations and the depth of the mixed layer. Vertical concentration profiles were similar, indicating a well-mixed water column with a thermocline at a depth of 50-100 m. Average DMS sea-to-air flux was 5.0 AE 1.7 mmol m À2 day À1 . The greatest fluxes were recorded at the stations in the western region of the study area, owing to the combined effect of high DMS concentrations (3.7-7.21 nM) and a high wind speed (4.4-6.8 m s À1 ). The greatest concentrations were recorded at the stations nearest the coast. The distribution of DMS and DMSP was apparently related to the oceanic hydrodynamics.

Biogeochemistry of Dimethylsulfide, Dimethylsulfoniopropionate, and Acrylic Acid in the Changjiang Estuary and the East China Sea

“…Apart from being an important carbon source for bacterial communities (Kinsey & Kieber, ), AA also acts as a bacteriostatic agent (Sieburth, ; Slezak et al, ); moreover, it is involved in grazing‐activated chemical defense and affects the predation of zooplankton and phytoplankton (Wolfe et al, ). To date, researchers have mainly focused on the investigations of DMS and DMSP including the spatiotemporal distributions and controlling factors of DMS and DMSP, the sea‐to‐air flux of DMS, the size‐fractionation of particulate DMSP, the degradation of DMS and DMSP, and the mechanism of DMS production from DMSP (Alcolombri et al, ; Espinosa et al, ; Yang et al, ). By contrast, the biogeochemistry of AA in seawater has received minimal attention.…”

Acrylic acid and related dimethylated sulfur compounds in the Bohai and Yellow seas during summer and winter

“…Many aspects of DMS and DMSP have been well documented, including spatiotemporal distributions, degradation, sea-to-air fluxes, and particle size fractionation (Lana et al, 2011;Levine et al, 2012;Yang et al, 2014;Espinosa et al, 2015). Recently, the biogeochemistry of AA in the oceans and the roles of AA in the marine sulfur cycle and the microbial community have received increasing attention globally.…”

Foreword to the special issue on ‘Biological and environmental chemistry of DMS(P) and related compounds'

“…However, reliable mapping of DMS is heavily hampered by the paucity of data in some regions and seasons. In this issue, Espinosa et al [21] report the first winter DMS(P) measurements in the southern Gulf of Mexico, and relate the results to the hydrodynamics of the area. Taking the challenge of incorporating the recent wave of high-resolution (quasicontinuous) measurements into the classical datasets made with sparse measurements, Jarníkova and Tortell [22] present an updated summertime DMS climatology in the Southern Ocean, one that better represents regional variability.…”