Simultaneous use of relaxed eddy accumulation and gradient flux techniques for the measurement of sea-to-air exchange of dimethyl sulphide

Abstract

The sea-to-air flux of the biogenic volatile sulphur compound dimethyl sulphide was assessed with the relaxed eddy accumulation (REA) and the gradient flux (GF) techniques from a stationary platform in the coastal Atlantic Ocean. Fluxes varied between 2 and 16 μmol m −2 d −1. Fluxes derived from REA were on average 7.1±5.03 μmol m −2 d −1, not significantly different from the average flux of 5.3±2.3 μmol m −2 d −1 derived from GF measurements. Gas transfer velocities were calculated from the fluxes and seawater DMS concentrations. They were within the range of gas transfer rates derived from the commonly used parameterizations that relate gas transfer to wind speed.