The distribution of methylated sulfur compounds, DMS and DMSP, in Canadian subarctic and Arctic marine waters during summer 2015

Abstract

We present seawater concentrations of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) measured across a transect from the Labrador Sea to the Canadian Arctic Archipelago during summer 2015. Using an automated ship-board gas chromatography system and a membrane-inlet mass spectrometer, we measured a wide range of DMS (∼ 1 to 18 nM) and DMSP (∼ 1 to 150 nM) concentrations. The highest DMS and DMSP concentrations occurred in a localized region of Baffin Bay, where surface waters were characterized by high chlorophyll a (chl a) fluorescence, indicative of elevated phytoplankton biomass. Across the full sampling transect, there were only weak relationships between DMS(P), chl a fluorescence and other measured variables, including positive relationships between DMSP : chl a ratios and several taxonomic marker pigments, and elevated DMS(P) concentrations in partially ice-covered areas. Our high spatial resolution measurements allowed us to examine DMS variability over small scales (< 1 km), documenting strong DMS concentration gradients across surface hydrographic frontal features. Our new observations fill in an important observational gap in the Arctic Ocean and provide additional information on sea–air DMS fluxes from this ocean region. In addition, this study constitutes a significant contribution to the existing Arctic DMS(P) dataset and provides a baseline for future measurements in the region.