Dimethyl sulfide and its role in aerosol formation and growth in the Arctic summer – a modelling study

Ghahremaninezhad, Roghayeh; Gong, Wei; Galí, Martí; Norman, Ann‐Lise; Beagley, S. R.; Akingunola, Ayodeji; Zheng, Qiong; Lupu, A.; Lizotte, Martine; Levasseur, Maurice; Leaitch, W. R.

doi:10.5194/acp-19-14455-2019

Cited by 20 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 92 publications

(132 reference statements)

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“…Ambient concentrations of MSA were generally higher at Utqiaġvik than Oliktok Point and are significantly different based on the paired t ‐test ( α = 0.05, p = 0.048). Ghahremaninezhad et al (2019) reported that a global environmental systems model focused on the North American Arctic and Arctic Ocean indicated that the higher concentrations of DMS were expected in the Bering Sea and Bering Strait region than in other regions of the Arctic Ocean. Galí et al (2019) found that the Bering Sea had some of the higher DMS fluxes along with the Iceland Basin and the Northern Atlantic Ocean.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Emissions of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) released by phytoplankton can be influential in these processes. Studies have shown that oxidation products of DMS can control the formation of ultrafine particles in the clean summertime atmosphere, which can then grow large enough to act as CCN (Abbatt et al, 2019; Ghahremaninezhad et al, 2019; Leaitch et al, 2013; Nilsson & Leck, 2002; Pandis et al, 1994; Park et al, 2017; Rempillo et al, 2011). DMS is oxidized in the atmosphere to form sulfate and methanesulfonic acid (MSA) (Hatakeyama et al, 1985; Leaitch et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Long‐Term Trends for Marine Sulfur Aerosol in the Alaskan Arctic and Relationships With Temperature

Moffett

Barrett

et al. 2020

JGR Atmospheres

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Marine aerosol plays a vital role in cloud-aerosol interactions during summer in the Arctic. The recent rise in temperature and decrease in sea ice extent have the potential to impact marine biogenic sources. Compounds like methanesulfonic acid (MSA) and non-sea-salt sulfate (nss-SO 4 2−), oxidation products of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) emitted by marine primary producers, are likely to increase in concentration. Long-term studies are vital to understand these changes in marine sulfur aerosol and potential interactions with Arctic climate. Samples were collected over three summers at two coastal sites on the North Slope of Alaska (Utqiaġvik and Oliktok Point). MSA concentrations followed previously reported seasonal trends, with evidence of high marine primary productivity influencing both sites. When added to an additional data set collected at Utqiaġvik, an increase in MSA concentration of + 2.5% per year and an increase in nss-SO 4 2− of + 2.1% per year are observed for the summer season over the 20-year record (1998-2017). This study identifies ambient air temperature as a strong factor for MSA, likely related to a combination of interrelated factors including warmer sea surface temperature, reduced sea ice, and temperature-dependent chemical reactions. Analysis of individual particles at Oliktok Point, within the North Slope of Alaska oil fields, showed evidence of condensation of MSA onto anthropogenic particles, highlighting the connection between marine and oil field emissions and secondary organic aerosol. This study shows the continued importance of understanding MSA in the Arctic while highlighting the need for further research into its seasonal relationship with organic carbon. Plain Language Summary Particles in the Earth's atmosphere play an important role in affecting the planet's climate. Understanding the compounds that make up these aerosol particles is especially important in the Arctic where dramatic changes in temperature and sea ice extent are being observed. Aerosol resulting from biological activity in marine regions is expected to increase in concentration and therefore have greater effects on climate. Methanesulfonic acid is one such compound that can be utilized to understand the impact of marine aerosol sources. Aerosol samples were collected over three summers at two sites on the North Slope of Alaska: Utqiaġvik and Oliktok Point. The samples were analyzed for a wide range of compounds including methanesulfonic acid. The results were combined with 16 years of data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Concentrations of methanesulfonic acid are increasing at a rate of 2.5% per year. Methanesulfonic acid was strongly related to temperature at Oliktok Point, where most marine aerosol is from the Beaufort Sea. At Utqiaġvik, strong relationships were found between methanesulfonic acid and temperature during years when intense Arctic cyclones occurred.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long‐Term Trends for Marine Sulfur Aerosol in the Alaskan Arctic and Relationships With Temperature

Moffett

Barrett

et al. 2020

JGR Atmospheres

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“…The concurrent increase in biogenic sulfate aerosols and smallsized particles (3-10 and 10-100 nm, respectively) reported for the Arctic atmosphere in May (Park et al, 2017) is a prime example that biogenic DMS is a major contributor to NPF. A model study reported that DMS enhanced the mass of sulfate particles in the size range 50-100 nm in regions north of 70 • N (Ghahremaninezhad et al, 2019). During the bloom and post-bloom periods a decline in anthropogenic sources and an increase in oceanic DMS source strength resulted in the transition of major sulfate sources from Anth-SO 2− 4 to Bio-SO 2− 4 , which highlights the increasing importance of biogenic sulfur aerosols in the summer Arctic atmosphere.…”

Section: Factors Affecting Variations In the S Aerosol Concentration In The Arctic Atmospherementioning

confidence: 99%

Large seasonal and interannual variations of biogenic sulfur compounds in the Arctic atmosphere (Svalbard; 78.9° N, 11.9° E)

et al. 2021

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Abstract. Seasonal to interannual variations in the concentrations of sulfur aerosols (< 2.5 µm in diameter; non sea-salt sulfate: NSS-SO42-; anthropogenic sulfate: Anth-SO42-; biogenic sulfate: Bio-SO42-; methanesulfonic acid: MSA) in the Arctic atmosphere were investigated using measurements of the chemical composition of aerosols collected at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard (78.9∘ N, 11.9∘ E) from 2015 to 2019. In all measurement years the concentration of NSS-SO42- was highest during the pre-bloom period and rapidly decreased towards summer. During the pre-bloom period we found a strong correlation between NSS-SO42- (sum of Anth-SO42- and Bio-SO42-) and Anth-SO42-. This was because more than 50 % of the NSS-SO42- measured during this period was Anth-SO42-, which originated in northern Europe and was subsequently transported to the Arctic in Arctic haze. Unexpected increases in the concentration of Bio-SO42- aerosols (an oxidation product of dimethylsulfide: DMS) were occasionally found during the pre-bloom period. These probably originated in regions to the south (the North Atlantic Ocean and the Norwegian Sea) rather than in ocean areas in the proximity of Ny-Ålesund. Another oxidation product of DMS is MSA, and the ratio of MSA to Bio-SO42- is extensively used to estimate the total amount of DMS-derived aerosol particles in remote marine environments. The concentration of MSA during the pre-bloom period remained low, primarily because of the greater loss of MSA relative to Bio-SO42- and the suppression of condensation of gaseous MSA onto particles already present in air masses being transported northwards from distant ocean source regions (existing particles). In addition, the low light intensity during the pre-bloom period resulted in a low concentration of photochemically activated oxidant species including OH radicals and BrO; these conditions favored the oxidation pathway of DMS to Bio-SO42- rather than to MSA, which acted to lower the MSA concentration at Ny-Ålesund. The concentration of MSA peaked in May or June and was positively correlated with phytoplankton biomass in the Greenland and Barents seas around Svalbard. As a result, the mean ratio of MSA to the DMS-derived aerosols was low (0.09 ± 0.07) in the pre-bloom period but high (0.32 ± 0.15) in the bloom and post-bloom periods. There was large interannual variability in the ratio of MSA to Bio-SO42- (i.e., 0.24 ± 0.11 in 2017, 0.40 ± 0.14 in 2018, and 0.36 ± 0.14 in 2019) during the bloom and post-bloom periods. This was probably associated with changes in the chemical properties of existing particles, biological activities surrounding the observation site, and air mass transport patterns. Our results indicate that MSA is not a conservative tracer for predicting DMS-derived particles, and the contribution of MSA to the growth of newly formed particles may be much larger during the bloom and post-bloom periods than during the pre-bloom period.

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“…In the clean Arctic atmosphere, DMS oxidation end-products (mostly, sulfuric and methanesulfonic acids) readily form new aerosol particles that scatter sunlight (Dawson et al, 2012;Leaitch et al, 2013;Hodshire et al, 2019;Veres et al, 2020;Brean et al, 2021). Moreover, DMS derivatives contribute to the condensational growth of aerosols into cloud condensation nuclei (CCN; Ghahremaninezhad et al, 2019), altering the balance between cloud shortwave forcing (increasing cloud albedo) and longwave forcing (increasing heat retention) (Andreae and Rosenfeld, 2008;Carslaw et al, 2013;Mahmood et al, 2019). In aerosol-depleted areas and over the pack ice, this radiative balance is particularly sensitive to local CCN sources (Mauritsen et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

DMS emissions from the Arctic marginal ice zone

Galí

Lizotte

Kieber

et al. 2021

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene

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Phytoplankton blooms in the Arctic marginal ice zone (MIZ) can be prolific dimethylsulfide (DMS) producers, thereby influencing regional aerosol formation and cloud radiative forcing. Here we describe the distribution of DMS and its precursor dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) across the Baffin Bay receding ice edge in early summer 2016. Overall, DMS and total DMSP (DMSPt) increased towards warmer waters of Atlantic origin concurrently with more advanced ice-melt and bloom stages. Relatively high DMS and DMSPt (medians of 6.3 and 70 nM, respectively) were observed in the surface layer (0–9 m depth), and very high values (reaching 74 and 524 nM, respectively) at the subsurface biomass maximum (15–30 m depth). Microscopic and pigment analyses indicated that subsurface DMS and DMSPt peaks were associated with Phaeocystis pouchetii, which bloomed in Atlantic-influenced waters and reached unprecedented biomass levels in Baffin Bay. In surface waters, DMS concentrations and DMS:DMSPt ratios were higher in the MIZ (medians of 12 nM and 0.15, respectively) than in fully ice-covered or ice-free conditions, potentially associated with enhanced phytoplanktonic DMSP release and bacterial DMSP cleavage (high dddP:dmdA gene ratios). Mean sea–air DMS fluxes (µmol m–2 d–1) increased from 0.3 in ice-covered waters to 10 in open waters (maximum of 26) owing to concurrent trends in near-surface DMS concentrations and physical drivers of gas exchange. Using remotely sensed sea-ice coverage and a compilation of sea–air DMS flux data, we estimated that the pan-Arctic DMS emission from the MIZ (EDMS, MIZ) was 5–13 Gg S yr–1. North of 80°N, EDMS, MIZ might have increased by around 10 ± 4% yr–1 between 2003 and 2014, likely exceeding open-water emissions in June and July. We conclude that EDMS, MIZ must be taken into account to evaluate plankton-climate feedbacks in the Arctic.

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Dimethyl sulfide and its role in aerosol formation and growth in the Arctic summer – a modelling study

Cited by 20 publications

References 92 publications

Long‐Term Trends for Marine Sulfur Aerosol in the Alaskan Arctic and Relationships With Temperature

Long‐Term Trends for Marine Sulfur Aerosol in the Alaskan Arctic and Relationships With Temperature

Large seasonal and interannual variations of biogenic sulfur compounds in the Arctic atmosphere (Svalbard; 78.9° N, 11.9° E)

DMS emissions from the Arctic marginal ice zone

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