DMS, MeSH and nanoparticles in semi-controlled deck-borne experiments using Antarctic seawater: on the effect of UV light
- 1Laboratoire de Météorologie Physique (Aubière, France)
- 2Institut de Ciències del Mar (Barcelona, Spain)
Abstract
Sulfur-containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and methanethiol (MeSH) are of particular interest among oceanic VOCs emitted by the ocean, both for their central role in the marine sulfur cycle and as potential precursors to secondary aerosol formation. However, the quantification of DMS and MeSH emissions as a function of biological components of the ocean under variable environmental factors are still too scarce for reliable future predictions. In this study we report on measurements of DMS, MeSH and nanoparticle concentrations in the headspace of two on-deck Air-Sea Interface Tanks (ASITs). The cover of one ASIT prevented the transmission of UV light below 380 nm in wavelength and we report on the effect of UV light on fluxes and concentrations. These measurements were carried out near the Antarctic Peninsula during the POLAR-CHANGE campaign in summer 2023. Air–sea fluxes inside the ASITs were always positive, i.e. degassing from seawater to air, with DMS and MeSH fluxes averaging 3.03 pmolm-2s-1 ( F ASIT-DMS ) and 0.64 pmolm-2s-1 ( F ASIT-MeSH ), respectively. DMS emission did not vary significantly between day and night, but the ratio FASIT-MeSH/(FASIT-DMS+FASIT-MeSH) showed a clear maximum at night and a decrease over daytime. Calculated aqueous DMS concentrations showed maxima in the open Southern Ocean north of the Antarctic Peninsula (2.5–3 nM), minima in the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) in the Weddell Sea (1 nM) and moderate values along the western coast of the peninsula (around 1.5–2 nM). Bacterial concentrations showed positive correlations with calculated aqueous DMS and MeSH concentrations during two experiments when seawater was held in the ASITs for 2 d. Removal of UV light increased DMS fluxes by 24 % and MeSH fluxes by 58 %. New particle formation occurred only in the absence of UV-light. Interestingly, the highest impact of UV removal, especially on increased MeSH emission, was seen during the night suggesting a lag period between the exposure and the physiological response of the cells. UV light caused slight nanophytoplankton light stress at noon, which negatively affected the short-term growth of nanophytoplankton, especially in open Southern Ocean waters.
Versions
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BibTeX
@article{chamba2026mesh,
title = {{DMS, MeSH and nanoparticles in semi-controlled deck-borne experiments using Antarctic seawater: on the effect of UV light}},
author = {Guillaume Chamba and Karine Sellegri and Valérie Gros and Clémence Rose and Leah Williams and Elisa Berdalet and Dolors Vaqué and Magda Vila and Queralt Güell-Bujons and Elisabet-Laia Sà and Yaiza M. Castillo and Arianna Rocchi and Aurélie Colomb and Jean-Marc Pichon and Mickaël Ribeiro and Charel Wohl and Manuel Dall'Osto and Rafel Simó},
journal = {Biogeosciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.5194/bg-23-7469-2026},
url = {https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/23/7469/2026/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - DMS, MeSH and nanoparticles in semi-controlled deck-borne experiments using Antarctic seawater: on the effect of UV light
AU - Guillaume Chamba
AU - Karine Sellegri
AU - Valérie Gros
AU - Clémence Rose
AU - Leah Williams
AU - Elisa Berdalet
AU - Dolors Vaqué
AU - Magda Vila
AU - Queralt Güell-Bujons
AU - Elisabet-Laia Sà
AU - Yaiza M. Castillo
AU - Arianna Rocchi
AU - Aurélie Colomb
AU - Jean-Marc Pichon
AU - Mickaël Ribeiro
AU - Charel Wohl
AU - Manuel Dall'Osto
AU - Rafel Simó
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
JO - Biogeosciences
DO - 10.5194/bg-23-7469-2026
UR - https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/23/7469/2026/
AB - Sulfur-containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and methanethiol (MeSH) are of particular interest among oceanic VOCs emitted by the ocean, both for their central role in the marine sulfur cycle and as potential precursors to secondary aerosol formation. However, the quantification of DMS and MeSH emissions as a function of biological components of the ocean under variable environmental factors are still too scarce for reliable future predictions. In this study we report on measurements of DMS, MeSH and nanoparticle concentrations in the headspace of two on-deck Air-Sea Interface Tanks (ASITs). The cover of one ASIT prevented the transmission of UV light below 380 nm in wavelength and we report on the effect of UV light on fluxes and concentrations. These measurements were carried out near the Antarctic Peninsula during the POLAR-CHANGE campaign in summer 2023. Air–sea fluxes inside the ASITs were always positive, i.e. degassing from seawater to air, with DMS and MeSH fluxes averaging 3.03 pmolm-2s-1 ( F ASIT-DMS ) and 0.64 pmolm-2s-1 ( F ASIT-MeSH ), respectively. DMS emission did not vary significantly between day and night, but the ratio FASIT-MeSH/(FASIT-DMS+FASIT-MeSH) showed a clear maximum at night and a decrease over daytime. Calculated aqueous DMS concentrations showed maxima in the open Southern Ocean north of the Antarctic Peninsula (2.5–3 nM), minima in the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) in the Weddell Sea (1 nM) and moderate values along the western coast of the peninsula (around 1.5–2 nM). Bacterial concentrations showed positive correlations with calculated aqueous DMS and MeSH concentrations during two experiments when seawater was held in the ASITs for 2 d. Removal of UV light increased DMS fluxes by 24 % and MeSH fluxes by 58 %. New particle formation occurred only in the absence of UV-light. Interestingly, the highest impact of UV removal, especially on increased MeSH emission, was seen during the night suggesting a lag period between the exposure and the physiological response of the cells. UV light caused slight nanophytoplankton light stress at noon, which negatively affected the short-term growth of nanophytoplankton, especially in open Southern Ocean waters.
SN - 1726-4189
SN - 1726-4170
ER -