Seasonal variation of atmospheric dimethylsulfide at Amsterdam Island in the southern Indian Ocean

Abstract

Daily measurements of atmospheric concentrations of dimethylsulfide (DMS) were carried out for two years in a marine site at remote area: the Amsterdam Island (37°50′S–77°31′E) located in the southern Indian Ocean. DMS concentrations were also measured in seawater. A seasonal variation is observed for both DMS in the atmosphere and in the sea-surface. The monthly averages of DMS concentrations in the surface coastal seawater and in the atmosphere ranged, respectively, from 0.3 to 2.0 nmol l-1 and from 1.4 to 11.3 nmol m-3 (34 to 274 pptv), with the highest values in summer. The monthly variation of sea-to-air flux of DMS from the southern Indian Ocean ranges from 0.7 to 4.4 μmol m-2 d-1. A factor of 2.3 is observed between summer and winter with mean DMS fluxes of 3.0 and 1.3 μmol m-2 d-1, respectively.