Chemistry of dimethyl sulfide in the equatorial Pacific atmosphere

Abstract

A field study of the chemistry of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) was conducted on the island of Kiritimati (Christmas Island). A very repeatable diurnal variation for both DMS and sulfur dioxide (SO2) was obtained. During the daytime DMS decreased and SO2 increased. At night DMS increased and SO2 decreased almost linearly. About 62% of the DMS was converted to SO2. DMS was emitted from the ocean at an average flux of 3.7 × 1013 molecules m-2 s-1. Most of the SO2 appeared to be lost to the ocean. -from Authors