Oceanic distributions and air-sea fluxes of biogenic halocarbons in the open ocean

Abstract

Surface seawater and atmospheric concentrations of methyl iodide, chloroiodomethane, bromoform, dichlorobromomethane, and chlorodibromethane were measured during three open ocean cruises in the Atlantic and Southern oceans. The measurements spanned a longitudinal range of 115°, between 50°N and 65°S. The saturation anomalies and the instantaneous air-sea fluxes of the gases during one of these cruises (ANT XVIII/1) are presented and discussed. Methyl iodide and chloroiodomethane were highly supersaturated (>1000%) throughout the temperate and tropical regions, with calculated mean fluxes of 15 and 5.5 nmol m-2 d-1, respectively. The oceanic emissions of the brominated compounds were less substantial, and a significant area of the temperate Atlantic Ocean was found to be a sink for bromoform. Correlation analyses have been used to investigate possible controls on the concentrations of these gases. In particular, the relationship of CH3I with sea surface temperature and light is discussed, with the tentative conclusion that this compound may be formed abiotically. Copyright 2005 by the American Geophysical Union.