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Dimethylsulfide emissions over the multi‐year ice of the western Weddell Sea
Author(s) -
Zemmelink H. J.,
Dacey J. W. H.,
Houghton L.,
Hintsa E. J.,
Liss P. S.
Publication year - 2008
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 - 10.1029/2007gl031847
Subject(s) - snow , sea ice , atmosphere (unit) , environmental science , arctic ice pack , climatology , oceanography , cryosphere , atmospheric sciences , antarctic sea ice , spring (device) , geology , meteorology , geography , geomorphology , mechanical engineering , engineering
This study, conducted in December 2004, is the first to present observations of DMS in a snow pack covering the multi‐year sea ice of the western Weddell Sea. The snow layer is important because it is the interface through which DMS needs to be transported in order to be emitted directly from the ice to the overlying atmosphere. High concentrations of DMS, up to 6000 nmol m −3 , were found during the first weeks of December but concentrations sharply decline as late spring‐early summer progresses. This implies that DMS contained in sea ice is efficiently vented through the snow into the atmosphere. Indeed, field measurements by relaxed eddy accumulation indicate an average release of 11 μ mol DMS m −2 d −1 from the ice and snow throughout December.