Skip to main content
Log in

Dimethylsulfide in coastal zone of the East China Sea

  • Published:
Journal of Oceanography Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Dimethylsulfide (DMS) in seawater were observed four times from February 1993 to August 1994 along a fixed section (PN line) in the East China Sea. The DMS concentrations showed remarkable temporal and spatial variations. The DMS concentrations were generally higher in the upper euphotic layer of the continental shelf zone in summer. The spatial variation, however, was more pronounced even in well mixed winter water, where the concentration of DMS varied widely from 3 to 106 ng-S/l in the continental shelf zone while the salinity was vertically almost uniform. This means that DMS in seawater is rapidly produced and decomposed with a time scale less than one month in the water column. The largest value of 376 ng-S/l was obtained at 5 m depth near the mouth of Changjiang River in August 1994. The mean concentrations in the surface 30 m layer in the continental shelf zone were 21, 54, 126 and 57 ng-S/l in February, October, June and August, respectively, which were about twice as large as those in the Kuroshio region. The mean fluxes of DMS from the East China Sea to the atmosphere are estimated to be 49 μg-S/m2/day in winter and 194 μg-S/m2/day in summer in the continental shelf zone, and to be 32 and 107 μg-S/m2/day in the Kuroshio region.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andreae, M. O. (1986): The ocean as a source of atmospheric sulfur compounds. p. 331–362. InThe Role of Air-Sea Exchange in Geochemical Cycling, ed. by P. Buat-Ménard Reidel, Dordrecht.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andreae, M. O. (1990): Ocean-atmosphere interactions in the global biogeochemical sulfur cycle.Mar. Chem.,30, 1–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andreae, M. O. and W. R. Barnard (1984): The marine chemistry of dimethylsulfide.Mar. Chem.,14, 267–279.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnard, W. R., M. O. Andreae, W. E. Watkins, H. Bingemer and H.-W. Georgii (1982): The flux of dimethylsulfide from the ocean to the atmosphere.J. Geophys. Res.,87, 8787–8793.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bates, T. S. and J. D. Cline (1985): The role of the ocean in a regional sulfur cycle.J. Geophys. Res.,90, 9168–9172.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bates, T. S., J. D. Cline, R. H. Gammon and S. R. Kelly-Hansen (1987): Regional and seasonal variations in the flux of oceanic dimethylsulfide to the Atmosphere.J. Geophys. Res. 92, 2930–2938.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bates, T. S., J. E. Johnson, P. K. Quinn, P. D. Goldan, W. C. Kuster, D. C. Covert and C. J. Hahn (1990): The biogeochemical sulfur cycle in the marine boundary layer over the Northeast Pacific Ocean.J. Atmos. Chem.,10, 59–81.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bates, T. S., R. P. Kiene, G. V. Wolfe, P. A. Matrai, F. P. Chavez, K. R. Buck, B. W. Blomquist and R. L. Cuhel (1994): The cycling of sulfur in surface seawater of the northeast Pacific.J. Geophys. Res.,99, 7835–7843.

    Google Scholar 

  • Broecker, W. S. and T.-H. Peng (1982):Tracers in the Sea. Eldigio Press, New York, 690 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Charlson, R. J., J. E. Lovelock, M. O. Andreae and S. G. Warren (1987): Oceanic phytoplankton, atmospheric sulphur, cloud albedo and climate.Nature,326, 655–661.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dacey, J. W. H. and N. V. Blough (1987): Hydroxide decomposition of dimethylsulfoniopropionate to form dimethylsulfide.Geophys. Res. Lett.,14, 1246–1249.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dacey, J. W. H. and S. G. Wakeham (1986): Oceanic dimethylsulfide: Production during zooplankton grazing on phytoplankton.Science,233, 1314–1316.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dickson, D. M. J. and G. O. Kirst (1987a): Osmotic adjustment in marine eukaryotic algae: the role of inorganic ions, quaternary ammonium, tertiary sulphonium and carbohydrate solutes. 1. Diatoms and a rhodophyte.New Phytol.,106, 645–655.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dickson, D. M. J. and G. O. Kirst (1987b): Osmotic adjustment in marine eukaryotic algae: the role of inorganic ions, quaternary ammonium, tertiary sulphonium and carbohydrate solutes. 2. Plasinophytes and haptophytes.New Phytol.,106, 657–666.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gao, Y., R. Arimoto, R. A. Duce, D. S. Lee and M. Y. Zhou (1992): Input of atmospheric trace elements and mineral matter to the Yellow Sea during the spring of a low-dust year.J. Geophys. Res.,97, 3767–3777.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kiene, R. P. (1992): Dynamics of dimethyl sulfide and dimethylsulfoniopropionate in oceanic water.Mar. Chem.,37, 29–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kiene, R. P. and T. S. Bates (1990): Biological removal of dimethyl sulphide from sea water.Nature,345, 702–704.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leck, C., U. Larsson, L. E. Bagander, S. Johansson and S. Hajdu (1990): Dimethylsulfide in the Baltic Sea: Annual variability in relation to biological activity.J. Geophys. Res.,95, 3353–3364.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liss, P. S. and L. Merlivat (1986): Air-sea gas exchange rates: Introduction and synthesis. p. 113–127: InThe Role of Air-Sea Exchange in Geochemical Cycling, ed. by P. Buat-Ménard, Reidel, Dordrecht.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liss, P. S. and P. G. Slater (1974): Flux of gases across the air-sea interface.Nature,247, 181–184.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nguyen, B. C., S. Belviso and N. Mihalopoulos (1988): Dimethyl sulfide production during natural phytoplankton blooms.Mar. Chem.,24, 133–141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saltzman, E. S., D. B. King, K. Holmen and C. Leck (1993): Experimental determination of the diffusion coefficient of dimethylsulfide in water.J. Geophys. Res.,98, 16,481–16,486.

    Google Scholar 

  • Takeuchi, K. and J. Kondo (1981):Taiki Kagaku Kouza (The Course of Atmospheric Science), Vol. 1: Chihyou ni Tikai Taiki (Ground Level Atmosphere). Univ. of Tokyo Press, Tokyo, 226 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, S. M., G. Malin, P. S. Liss, D. S. Harbour and P. M. Holligan (1988): The seasonal variation of dimethyl sulfide and dimethylsulfoniopropionate concentrations in nearshore waters.Limnol. Oceanogr.,33, 364–375.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watanabe, S., K. Demura and S. Tsunogai (1987): Determination of volatile organic sulfur compound concentrations in seawater.Bull. Fuc. Fish. Hokkaido Univ.,38, 286–292.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, R. H. (1982): Analysis of dimethyl sulfonium compounds in marine algae.J. Mar. Res. 40, 529–536.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Uzuka, N., Watanabe, S. & Tsunogai, S. Dimethylsulfide in coastal zone of the East China Sea. J Oceanogr 52, 313–321 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02235926

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02235926

Keywords

Navigation