Abstract
Dimethylsulphide (DMS), mainly produced by marine biogenic activity, plays an important role in the atmospheric sulphur budget1. Methanesulphonic acid (MSA) and sulphur dioxide (SO2, hereafter converted into non-sea-salt (n.s.s.) sulphate) are the main oxidation products of DMS2. As opposed to n.s.s. sulphate, which has other sources (for example, volcanoes, terrestrial sulphate), MSA represents an unequivocal indicator of marine biogenic activity. MSA has previously been investigated in marine aerosols at low and mid-latitudes3–5 as well as in precipitations and polar ice5,6; here we present 54 MSA measurements made in Antarctic ice. Coastal area precipitations exhibit unexpectedly high (up to 100%) MSA/n.s.s. SO2–4 weight ratios (r) compared with values commonly observed in mid-latitude marine atmospheres3. At higher elevations (2,000 m) the r values suggest a marine biogenic input of more global significance. The MSA concentrations (several p.p.b.) confirm that the n.s.s. sulphate in Antarctic ice is mainly derived from marine biogenic activity. During the last ice age, MSA contents were 2–5 times higher than today. This study of high-latitude precipitations demonstrates the feasibility of reconstructing past marine biogenic activity of global significance.
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References
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Saigne, C., Legrand, M. Measurements of methanesulphonic acid in Antarctic ice. Nature 330, 240–242 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/330240a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/330240a0
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