Flux of dimethylsulfide from the oceans: A comparison of updated data sets and flux models

Abstract

Estimates of the fluxes of dimethylsulfide (DMS) from the global oceans are calculated using the parameterizations of Lisps and Merlivat [1986], Wanninkhof [1992], and Erickson [1993]; the wind fields of Trenberth et al. [1989], da Silva and Young [1994], and Gibson et al. [1996]; and the maps of sea surface DMS concentration of Kettle et al. [1999]. The Liss and Merlivat [1986], Wanninkhof [1992], and Erickson [1993] parameterizations gave global oceanic DMS fluxes of approximately 15, 33, and 21 Tg S yr−1, respectively. The different data sets for wind speed, sea surface temperature, and DMS sea surface concentration resulted in relatively small variations in these calculated fluxes (≤25%). The large uncertainty in the flux models prevents the estimation of the global flux of DMS with an error limit of better than about 50%. Interannual variation in the wind speeds and sea surface temperatures from the 15‐year European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Reanalysis Project results in an interannual variation of DMS flux of approximately 10%. Possibly, there is greater interannual variation in the DMS flux due to variation in the DMS concentration fields, which was not taken into account.