Biogenic production and consumption of dimethylsulfide (DMS) and dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) in the marine epipelagic zone: a review

Dimethylsulfide (DMS) is the dominating sulfur gas in surface marine waters. The flux of DMS to the atmosphere plays an important role in the natural sulfur cycle and in the formation of acidic components and condensation nucleii in the remote oceanic atmosphere and is likely to be of climatic significance. This article reviews the biologic production and consumption processes of DMS and its precursor dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) in ocean surface waters. The description of relevant processes in this paper is complemented by rate estimates where such data are available. The literature on a region in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean is reviewed to provide information on DMS and DMSP pools in situ and their regional and seasonal variations.