Rafel Simó

A global database of sea surface dimethylsulfide (DMS) measurements and a procedure to predict sea surface DMS as a function of latitude, longitude, and month

A database of 15,617 point measurements of dimethylsulfide (DMS) in surface waters along with lesser amounts of data for aqueous and particulate dimethylsulfoniopropionate concentration, chlorophyll concentration, sea surface salinity and temperature, and wind speed has been assembled. The database was processed to create a series of climatological annual and monthly 1°×1° latitude-longitude squares of data. The results were compared to published fields of geophysical and biological parameters. No significant correlation was found between DMS and these parameters, and no simple algorithm could be found to create monthly fields of sea surface DMS concentration based on these parameters. Instead, an annual map of sea surface DMS was produced using an algorithm similar to that employed by Conkright et al. [1994]. In this approach, a first-guess field of DMS sea surface concentration measurements is created and then a correction to this field is generated based on actual measurements. Monthly sea surface grids of DMS were obtained using a similar scheme, but the sparsity of DMS measurements made the method difficult to implement. A scheme was used which projected actual data into months of the year where no data were otherwise present.

Bacterial Community Structure Associated with a Dimethylsulfoniopropionate-Producing North Atlantic Algal Bloom

ABSTRACT The bacteria associated with oceanic algal blooms are acknowledged to play important roles in carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycling, yet little information is available on their identities or phylogenetic affiliations. Three culture-independent methods were used to characterize bacteria from a dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP)-producing algal bloom in the North Atlantic. Group-specific 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotides, 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) clone libraries, and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis all indicated that the marine Roseobacter lineage was numerically important in the heterotrophic bacterial community, averaging >20% of the 16S rDNA sampled. Two other groups of heterotrophic bacteria, the SAR86 and SAR11 clades, were also shown by the three 16S rRNA-based methods to be abundant in the bloom community. In surface waters, the Roseobacter, SAR86, and SAR11 lineages together accounted for over 50% of the bacterial rDNA and showed little spatial variability in abundance despite variations in the dominant algal species. Depth profiles indicated thatRoseobacter phylotype abundance decreased with depth and was positively correlated with chlorophyll a, DMSP, and total organic sulfur (dimethyl sulfide plus DMSP plus dimethyl sulfoxide) concentrations. Based on these data and previous physiological studies of cultured Roseobacter strains, we hypothesize that this lineage plays a role in cycling organic sulfur compounds produced within the bloom. Three other abundant bacterial phylotypes (representing a cyanobacterium and two members of the α Proteobacteria) were primarily associated with chlorophyll-rich surface waters of the bloom (0 to 50 m), while two others (representing Cytophagales and δProteobacteria) were primarily found in deeper waters (200 to 500 m).

Production of atmospheric sulfur by oceanic plankton: biogeochemical, ecological and evolutionary links

Biological production of the volatile compound dimethylsulfide in the ocean is the main natural source of tropospheric sulfur on a global scale, with important consequences for the radiative balance of the Earth. In the late 1980s, a Gaian feedback link between marine phytoplankton and climate through the release of atmospheric sulfur was hypothesized. However, the idea of microalgae producing a substance that could regulate climate has been criticized on the basis of its evolutionary feasibility. Recent advances have shown that volatile sulfur is a result of ecological interactions and transformation processes through planktonic food webs. It is, therefore, not only phytoplankton biomass, taxonomy or activity, but also food-web structure and dynamics that drive the oceanic production of atmospheric sulfur. Accordingly, the viewpoint on the ecological and evolutionary basis of this amazing marine biota-atmosphere link is changing.

An updated climatology of surface dimethlysulfide concentrations and emission fluxes in the global ocean

[1] The potentially significant role of the biogenic trace gas dimethylsulfide (DMS) in determining the Earth’s radiation budget makes it necessary to accurately reproduce seawater DMS distribution and quantify its global flux across the sea/air interface. Following a threefold increase of data (from 15,000 to over 47,000) in the global surface ocean DMS database over the last decade, new global monthly climatologies of surface ocean DMS concentration and sea‐to‐air emission flux are presented as updates of those constructed 10 years ago. Interpolation/extrapolation techniques were applied to project the discrete concentration data onto a first guess field based on Longhurst’s biogeographic provinces. Further objective analysis allowed us to obtain the final monthly maps. The new climatology projects DMS concentrations typically in the range of 1–7 nM, with higher levels occurring in the high latitudes, and with a general trend toward increasing concentration in summer. The increased size and distribution of the observations in the DMS database have produced in the new climatology substantially lower DMS concentrations in the polar latitudes and generally higher DMS concentrations in regions that were severely undersampled 10 years ago, such as the southern Indian Ocean. Using the new DMS concentration climatology in conjunction with state‐of‐the‐art parameterizations for the sea/air gas transfer velocity and climatological wind fields, we estimate that 28.1 (17.6–34.4) Tg of sulfur are transferred from the oceans into the atmosphere annually in the form of DMS. This represents a global emission increase of 17% with respect to the equivalent calculation using the previous climatology. This new DMS climatology represents a valuable tool for atmospheric chemistry, climate, and Earth System models.

Chemoattraction to dimethylsulfoniopropionate throughout the marine microbial food web

Sulfur Signal Dinner Phytoplankton produces large amounts of the compound dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), which can be transformed into the gas dimethylsulfide and emitted into the atmosphere in sufficient quantities to affect cloud formation. The functional role of DMSP is somewhat unclear, but it is degraded by marine bacteria as a source of reduced carbon and sulfur. It also acts as a foraging cue for a variety of aquatic animals ranging from copepods to marine mammals. Now, Seymour et al. (p. 342) have developed a microfluidic device to observe the behavior of motile microorganisms in response to pulses of DMSP. Contrary to accepted thought, these compounds appear primarily to play a defensive role—for most motile organisms, they are strongly attractive and act as an important infochemical throughout the marine food web. A microfluidics device reveals a common response of bacterial plankton to sulfur compounds emitted by marine algae. Phytoplankton-produced dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) provides underwater and atmospheric foraging cues for several species of marine invertebrates, fish, birds, and mammals. However, its role in the chemical ecology of marine planktonic microbes is largely unknown, and there is evidence for contradictory functions. By using microfluidics and image analysis of swimming behavior, we observed attraction toward microscale pulses of DMSP and related compounds among several motile strains of phytoplankton, heterotrophic bacteria, and bacterivore and herbivore microzooplankton. Because microbial DMSP cycling is the main natural source of cloud-forming sulfur aerosols, our results highlight how adaptations to microscale chemical seascapes shape planktonic food webs, while potentially influencing climate at the global scale.

Mass budget and dynamics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Mediterranean Sea

A mass budget was constructed to examine the status and dynamics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the western Mediterranean Sea. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, 11 PAHs have been quantified in atmospheric aerosols, rivers and seawater, sediment cores and sediment trap samples. Total PAH concentrations in Mediterranean aerosols range from 0.2 to 2 ng m−3, with 50–70% associated with the sub-micron particles. Maximum PAH concentrations were observed in winter when the concentrations were double those recorded in the spring. Total PAH inputs from the atmosphere were estimated to be from 35 to 70 t year−1 with a mean value of 47.5 t year−1 (wet/dry mean ratio of ∼2–3). Atmospherically-deposited PAH are dominated by the benzofluoranthenes. The total PAH riverine inputs amount to about 5.3−33 t year−1 from the Rhone river and 1.3 t year−1 from the Ebro river. The difference in these riverine fluxes is due to differences in annual water discharges and upstream land use. The total PAH accumulation rate in surficial sediments in the whole basin is estimated at 182 t year−1. Nearly 50% of the total PAHs accumulate in the 0–200 m water depth area supporting the importance of the coastal zone as a trap of terrigenous material and associated contaminants. Sediment trap experiments gave a mean residence time in the water column of total PAH (considering only particle settling) of 11 years, with higher residence times for high molecular weight PAHs. This supports the hypothesis that lower molecular weight PAHs are more efficiently removed from the water column. Water exchange resulted in a net outflow of 20 t year−1 and 2 t year−1 through the Gibraltar and Sicilian Straits, respectively. Atmospheric deposition and the Rhone River are the major contributors of PAH in the western Mediterranean. Sedimentation was identified as the major net output of PAH.

Short‐term variability in the open ocean cycle of dimethylsulfide

The marine biogeochemical cycle of dimethylsulfide (DMS), the main natural source of sulfur to the global atmosphere, was studied during a 2-week Lagrangian experiment in the subpolar North Atlantic, at 60°N 21°W. A bloom of coccolithopores, mostly of the species Emiliania huxleyi, dominated the phytoplankton assemblage over the first week. High surface concentrations of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP, 37–70 nM) were found along with moderate DMS concentrations (3–9 nM) during the entire experiment. Rates of biological DMSP consumption (8–51 nM d−1) and DMS production (1–14 nM d−1) and consumption (0–6 nM d−1) were measured in short-term dark incubations of surface seawater. Rates of DMSP biosynthesis (11–31 nM d−1) and DMS photochemical loss (1–10 nM d−1) were estimated by budgeting concentrations and transformation rates between Lagrangian samplings. Air-sea exchange rates for DMS (0.03–3 nM d−1) were calculated from surface concentrations, seawater temperature, and wind speed. All major processes involved in the DMS cycle showed significant short-term variability in coupling to the variability of solar radiation, wind speed, and mixing. Biotic and abiotic DMS turnover rates were of similar magnitude and very dynamic, with a prompt response to a rapidly changing physical environment. The rapid impact of meteorological forcing factors on DMS cycling provides the basis for a sulfur-mediated, short-term plankton/climate interaction.

Use of microautoradiography combined with fluorescence in situ hybridization to determine dimethylsulfoniopropionate incorporation by marine bacterioplankton taxa.

ABSTRACT The fraction of planktonic heterotrophic bacteria capable of incorporating dissolved dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) and leucine was determined at two coastal sites by microautoradioagraphy (AU). In Gulf of Mexico seawater microcosm experiments, the proportion of prokaryotes that incorporated sulfur from [35S]DMSP ranged between 27 and 51% of 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI)-positive cells, similar to or slightly lower than the proportion incorporating [3H]leucine. In the northwest Mediterranean coast, the proportion of cells incorporating sulfur from [35S]DMSP increased from 5 to 42% from January to March, coinciding with the development of a phytoplankton bloom. At the same time, the proportion of cells incorporating [3H]leucine increased from 21 to 40%. The combination of AU and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) revealed that the Roseobacter clade (α-proteobacteria) accounted for 13 to 43% of the microorganisms incorporating [35S]DMSP at both sampling sites. Significant uptake of sulfur from DMSP was also found among members of the γ-proteobacteria and Cytophaga-Flavobacterium groups. Roseobacter and γ-proteobacteria exhibited the highest percentage of DAPI-positive cells incorporating 35S from DMSP (around 50%). Altogether, the application of AU with [35S]DMSP combined with FISH indicated that utilization of S from DMSP is a widespread feature among active marine bacteria, comparable to leucine utilization. These results point toward DMSP as an important substrate for a broad and diverse fraction of marine bacterioplankton.

Dissolved dimethylsulphide, dimethylsulphoniopropionate and dimethylsulphoxide in western Mediterranean waters

Abstract Spring-summer concentrations of the three main dissolved dimethyl sulphur species (DMSS d ), dimethylsuphide (DMS), dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSS d ) and dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO), have been determined in western Mediterranean Sea water with some spatial and temporal resolution. Depth profiles showed that the three DMSS d were mostly confined to the euphotic layer. In surface waters, DMSO was generally the dominant DMSS d regardless of the site and the season. Concentration averages resulted in a DMS:DMSP d :DMSO proportion of l: 1: 6 (2.9: 3.0: 16.6 nM). DMSSd concentrations exhibited a great variability, but were higher on the continental shelf than in open seawaters, as were chlorophyll concentrations. Some hot spots with the highest levels were identified off the main continental outflows. None of the DMSS d correlated significantly with chlorophyll. In open seawaters (water column depth > 200 m) DMS increased as chlorophyll declined between April and July. This was attributed to changes in the biological community from spring development to summer decay and ecological succession. The temporal variation of the three DMSS d s suggests that they are subject to a tight cycling of production and consumption where the composition of the entire planktonic community, as well as its physiological state, play a significant role. A similar conclusion was achieved from the study of the DMSS d concentrations in a transect between oligotrophic and eutrophic waters in the top NW area. Finally, the western Mediterranean has been assessed as a source of atmospheric sulphur. The moderate DMS emission flux estimates (mean: 5.4 μmol m −2 day −1 ), together with the moderate DMS surface concentrations, were consistent with the low productivity of the Mediterranean Sea.

Comparison of global climatological maps of sea surface dimethyl sulfide

We have examined differences in regional and seasonal variability among sevenglobal climatologies of sea-surface dimethyl sulfide (DMS) concentrations. We foundlarge differences between recent climatologies and that typically used by mostatmospheric sulfur models. The relative uncertainty (1s/mean) in the latitudinaldistribution of the annual mean DMS concentration increases from about 50% in tropicaland temperate regions to nearly 100% in the high latitudes. We also compared theseclimatologies to new measurements in the North Atlantic Ocean taken during the 2001Programme Oce´an Multidisciplinaire Me´so Echelle (POMME) expeditions.