Global airborne sampling reveals a previously unobserved dimethyl sulfide oxidation mechanism in the marine atmosphere

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1919344117
• Publication Date: 2020-02-18T23:14:27Z
• Authors: Patrick R. Veres; J. Andrew Neuman; Timothy H. Bertram; Emmanuel Assaf; Glenn M. Wolfe; Christina J. Will...; Bernadett Weinzierl; Simone Tilmes; Chelsea R. Thompson; Alexander B. Thames; Jason C. Schroder; Alfonso Saiz-Lopez; Andrew W. Rollins; James M. Roberts; Derek Price; Jeff Peischl; Benjamin A. Nault; Kristian H. Møller; David O. Miller; Simone Meinardi; Qinyi Li; Jean-François Lam...; Agnieszka Kupc; Henrik G. Kjaergaard; Douglas Kinnison; Jose L. Jimenez; Christopher M. Je...; Rebecca S. Hornbrook; Alan Hills; Maximilian Dollner; Douglas A. Day; Carlos A. Cuevas; Pedro Campuzano-Jost; James Burkholder; T. Paul Bui; William H. Brune; Steven S. Brown; Charles A. Brock; Ilann Bourgeois; Donald R. Blake; Eric C. Apel; Thomas B. Ryerson
• Keywords: Dimethyl sulfide

Dimethyl sulfide (DMS), emitted from the oceans, is most abundant biological source of sulfur to marine atmosphere. Atmospheric DMS oxidized condensable products that form secondary aerosols affect Earth's radiative balance by scattering solar radiation and serving as cloud condensation nuclei. We report atmospheric discovery a previously unquantified oxidation product, hydroperoxymethyl thioformate (HPMTF, HOOCH2SCHO), identified through global-scale airborne observations demonstrate it be major reservoir sulfur. Observationally constrained model results show more than 30% oceanic atmosphere forms HPMTF. Coincident particle measurements suggest strong link between HPMTF concentration new formation growth. Analyses these chemistry must included in models improve representation key linkages biogeochemistry ocean, aerosol growth, their combined effects on climate.