UC Irvine

Shipboard measurements of atmospheric dimethyl sulfide were made during two transects along the east coast of the United States and at several stations in the Gulf of Maine. Limited measurements of carbon disulfide and hydrogen sulfide are also reported. The mean DMS mixing ratio was 29 pptv (σ=25, n=84, median 19 pptv) during the Atlantic transects, and 101 pptv (σ=67, n=77, median 79 pptv) in the Gulf of Maine. Distinct diurnal variations were found in the DMS data from the transects. The meteorology of the study area appears to control day-to-day differences in the magnitude of these diurnal variations, although rapid daytime oxidation is suggested in some cases. Diurnal variations were also evident in near-shore stations in the Gulf of Maine due to nocturnal boundary-layer inversion. Diurnal variation was not evident at other sites in the Gulf due to large scale changes in the atmospheric circulation pattern, which effectively masked any effects due to oxidation processes. Model simulations confirm that the DMS levels and diurnal variation found during the transects are not consistent with atmospheric oxidation processes alone. Atmospheric CS2 and H2S mixing ratios were less than 3 pptv during the transects, except for a single period of higher CS2 mixing ratios (reaching 11 pptv) during advection of continental air. Calculations of the flux of oceanic sulfur to the eastern United States show that the contribution of natural sulfur to the North American sulfur budget is small compared to anthropogenic sources. © 1991 Kluwer Academic Publishers.