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Impact of BrO on dimethylsulfide in the remote marine boundary layer
Author(s) -
Breider T. J.,
Chipperfield M. P.,
Richards N. A. D.,
Carslaw K. S.,
Mann G. W.,
Spracklen D. V.
Publication year - 2010
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 - 10.1029/2009gl040868
Subject(s) - aerosol , dimethyl sulfide , environmental science , sea salt , bromine , sea salt aerosol , sink (geography) , atmospheric sciences , southern hemisphere , nox , oceanography , environmental chemistry , climatology , meteorology , chemistry , geology , physics , sulfur , cartography , organic chemistry , combustion , geography
We have used a global three‐dimensional chemical transport model coupled to a detailed size‐resolved aerosol microphysics module to study the impact of BrO on dimethylsulfide (DMS) in the remote marine boundary layer. Our model results suggest BrO contributes 16% of the global annual DMS oxidation sink. This effect is most profound over the SH oceans where low NO x concentrations and a high sea salt aerosol source, coupled with high DMS concentrations, drives a large contribution of BrO to DMS oxidation (>20%). Bromine chemistry also results in an 18% reduction in the global DMS burden and lifetime. In addition, when we use an alternative DMS source parameterization resulting in a factor 2 increase in DMS flux the release of bromine from sea salt aerosol increases by 50–60% in the southern hemisphere summer because of additional aerosol acidity. This suggests a possible DMS‐SO 2 ‐sea salt‐BrO marine aerosol feedback mechanism that acts to reduce the sensitivity of the DMS lifetime to increases in DMS emission.