The American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Inc.
Abstract
Oceanic dimethylsulfide (DMS), the main natural source of sulfur to the global atmosphere, is suggested to play
a key role in the interaction between marine biota and climate. Its biochemical precursor is dimethylsulfoniopropionate
(DMSP), a globally distributed, intracellular constituent in marine phytoplankton. During a multidisciplinary
Lagrangian experiment in the subpolar North Atlantic, we determined the fluxes of DMSP and DMS through
phytoplankton, microzooplankton, and bacterioplankton and compared them with concurrent carbon and sulfur fluxes
through primary and secondary productions, grazing, and release and use of dissolved organic matter. We found
that DMSP and derivatives contributed most (48–100%) of the sulfur fluxes and 5–15% of the carbon fluxes. Our
findings highlight DMSP as a prominent player in pelagic biogeochemical pumps, especially as a major carrier in
organic sulfur cycling. Also, our results illustrate the key role played by microzooplankton and heterotrophic bacteria
(hence the microbial food web) in controlling the amount of phytoplanktonic DMSP that ultimately vents to the
atmosphere in the form of DMS
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