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Nutrient availability determines dimethyl sulfide and isoprene distribution in the eastern Atlantic Ocean
Author(s) -
Zindler Cathleen,
Marandino Christa A.,
Bange Hermann W.,
Schütte Florian,
Saltzman Eric S.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2014gl059547
Subject(s) - isoprene , dimethylsulfoniopropionate , dimethyl sulfide , nitrate , nutrient , environmental science , environmental chemistry , oceanography , nitrogen , chemistry , sulfur , geology , phytoplankton , organic chemistry , copolymer , polymer
Continuous high‐resolution underway measurements of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and isoprene in the ocean surface were conducted from Germany to South Africa in November 2008. DMS, total dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP t ), isoprene and 19′‐hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin (19′‐hex) correlated in nitrogen‐depleted regions when they were clustered by nitrogen to phosphorous ratio (N:P). The 19′‐hex‐containing algae groups might be a common source of DMS, DMSP t , and isoprene in the low N:P regions. Additionally, DMS and isoprene correlated in nitrate‐depleted regions when they were clustered against nitrate concentrations. Correlations between DMS and isoprene were also found within nitrate‐depleted eddies encountered along the cruise track. Eddies with N:P of ~2.8 showed the highest positive correlations between DMS and isoprene. We conclude that the DMS/isoprene relationships in the eastern Atlantic Ocean were influenced by nutrient availability, with implications for using nutrients to predict the DMS and isoprene concentrations over a range of oceanographic areas depleted in nitrogen.