ORCID Profile
0000-0002-6958-6359
Current Organisation
Taranaki Regional Council
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Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 08-05-2023
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 26-10-2022
Abstract: Abstract. As the sea surface microlayer (SML) is the uppermost oceanic layer and differs in biogeochemical composition to the underlying subsurface water (SSW), it is important to determine whether processes in the SML modulate gas exchange, particularly for climate active gases. Enrichment of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and its precursor dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) has been reported in the SML, but it remains unclear how this is maintained whilst DMS is lost to the atmosphere. To examine this, a comprehensive study of DMS source and sink processes, including production, consumption, and net response to irradiance, was carried out in deck-board incubations of SML water at five locations in different water masses in the southwestern Pacific east of New Zealand. Net consumption of DMSP and production of DMS in the light and dark occurred at all sites. The net response of DMS and DMSP to irradiance varied between stations but was always lower than conversion of DMSP to DMS in the dark. In addition, DMS photolytic turnover was slower than reported elsewhere, which was unexpected given the high light exposure in the SML incubations. Although no relationships were apparent between DMS process rates and biogeochemical variables, including chlorophyll a, bacteria, and phytoplankton groups, net bacterial DMSP consumption was correlated with DMSP and DMS concentrations and also dinoflagellate and Gymnodinium spp. biomass, supporting the findings of a companion study that dinoflagellates play an important role in DMS cycling in the SML. However, net DMS production rates and accumulation were low relative to regional air–sea DMS loss, indicating that DMS cycling within the SML is unlikely to influence regional DMS emissions.
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 11-01-2023
DOI: 10.5194/OS-19-1-2023
Abstract: Abstract. Elevated dimethyl sulfide (DMS) concentrations in the sea surface microlayer (SML) have been previously related to DMS air–sea flux anomalies in the southwestern Pacific. To further address this, DMS, its precursor dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), and ancillary variables were s led in the SML and also subsurface water at 0.5 m depth (SSW) in different water masses east of New Zealand. Despite high phytoplankton biomass at some stations, the SML chlorophyll a enrichment factor (EF) was low ( 1.06), and DMSP was enriched at one station with DMSP EF ranging from 0.81 to 1.25. DMS in the SML was determined using a novel gas-permeable tube technique which measured consistently higher concentrations than with the traditional glass plate technique however, significant DMS enrichment was present at only one station, with the EF ranging from 0.40 to 1.22. SML DMSP and DMS were influenced by phytoplankton community composition, with correlations with dinoflagellate and Gymnodinium biomass, respectively. DMSP and DMS concentrations were also correlated between the SML and SSW, with the difference in ratio attributable to greater DMS loss to the atmosphere from the SML. In the absence of significant enrichment, DMS in the SML did not influence DMS emissions, with the calculated air–sea DMS flux of 2.28 to 11.0 µmol m−2 d−1 consistent with climatological estimates for the region. These results confirm previous regional observations that DMS is associated with dinoflagellate abundance but indicate that additional factors are required to support significant enrichment in the SML.
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 22-06-2022
DOI: 10.5194/EGUSPHERE-2022-499
Abstract: Abstract. Elevated dimethyl sulfide (DMS) concentrations in the sea surface microlayer (SML) have been previously related to DMS air-sea flux anomalies in the South West Pacific. To further address this, DMS, its precursor dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), and ancillary variables were s led in the SML and also subsurface water at 0.5 m depth (SSW) in different water masses east of New Zealand. Despite high phytoplankton biomass at certain stations significant chlorophyll a and DMSP enrichments were only apparent at one of six stations, with the DMSP enrichment factor (EF) ranging from 0.81 to 1.25. DMS in the SML was determined using a novel gas-permeable tube technique which measured consistently higher concentrations than with the traditional glass plate technique however, DMS enrichment was also present at only one station, with the EF ranging from 0.40 to 1.22. SML DMSP and DMS were influenced by phytoplankton community composition, with correlations with dinoflagellate and Gymnodinium biomass, respectively. DMSP and DMS concentrations were also correlated between the SML and SSW, with the difference in ratio attributable to greater DMS loss to the atmosphere from the SML. DMS in the SML did not significantly influence regional DMS emissions, with the calculated air-sea DMS flux of 1.0 to 11.0 µmol m-2 d-1 consistent with climatological estimates for the region. These results extend previous regional observations that DMS is associated with dinoflagellate abundance but indicate that additional factors are required for significant enrichment in the SML.
Publisher: American Meteorological Society
Date: 05-2023
Abstract: The goal of the Sea2Cloud project is to study the interplay between surface ocean biogeochemical and physical properties, fluxes to the atmosphere, and ultimately their impact on cloud formation under minimal direct anthropogenic influence. Here we present an interdisciplinary approach, combining atmospheric physics and chemistry with marine biogeochemistry, during a voyage between 41° and 47°S in March 2020. In parallel to ambient measurements of atmospheric composition and seawater biogeochemical properties, we describe semicontrolled experiments to characterize nascent sea spray properties and nucleation from gas-phase biogenic emissions. The experimental framework for studying the impact of the predicted evolution of ozone concentration in the Southern Hemisphere is also detailed. After describing the experimental strategy, we present the oceanic and meteorological context including provisional results on atmospheric thermodynamics, composition, and flux measurements. In situ measurements and flux studies were carried out on different biological communities by s ling surface seawater from subantarctic, subtropical, and frontal water masses. Air–Sea-Interface Tanks (ASIT) were used to quantify biogenic emissions of trace gases under realistic environmental conditions, with nucleation observed in association with biogenic seawater emissions. Sea spray continuously generated produced sea spray fluxes of 34% of organic matter by mass, of which 4% particles had fluorescent properties, and which size distribution resembled the one found in clean sectors of the Southern Ocean. The goal of Sea2Cloud is to generate realistic parameterizations of emission flux dependences of trace gases and nucleation precursors, sea spray, cloud condensation nuclei, and ice nuclei using seawater biogeochemistry, for implementation in regional atmospheric models.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-08-2021
DOI: 10.1038/S43247-021-00253-0
Abstract: Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes can contribute to hydroxyl reactivity and secondary aerosol formation in the atmosphere. These aromatic hydrocarbons are typically classified as anthropogenic air pollutants, but there is growing evidence of biogenic sources, such as emissions from plants and phytoplankton. Here we use a series of shipborne measurements of the remote marine atmosphere, seawater mesocosm incubation experiments and phytoplankton laboratory cultures to investigate potential marine biogenic sources of these compounds in the oceanic atmosphere. Laboratory culture experiments confirmed marine phytoplankton are a source of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes and in mesocosm experiments their sea-air fluxes varied between seawater s les containing differing phytoplankton communities. These fluxes were of a similar magnitude or greater than the fluxes of dimethyl sulfide, which is considered to be the key reactive organic species in the marine atmosphere. Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes fluxes were observed to increase under elevated headspace ozone concentration in the mesocosm incubation experiments, indicating that phytoplankton produce these compounds in response to oxidative stress. Our findings suggest that biogenic sources of these gases may be sufficiently strong to influence atmospheric chemistry in some remote ocean regions.
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 22-06-2022
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 22-06-2022
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 08-05-2023
DOI: 10.5194/EGUSPHERE-2023-516
Abstract: Abstract. Air-sea fluxes of dimethyl sulphide (DMS) and methanethiol (MeSH) from surface seawater in the remote Southern Pacific Ocean were measured in three Air-Sea Interface Tank (ASIT) experiments during the Sea2Cloud voyage in March 2020. The measured fluxes of 0.78 ± 0.44 ng m-2 s-1 and 0.05 ± 0.03 ng m-2 s-1 for DMS and MeSH, respectively, varied between experiments reflecting the different water mass types investigated, with lowest fluxes with subtropical water and highest with biologically-active water with sub-Tropical water and highest from the sub-Tropical Front. Measured DMS fluxes were consistent with calculated fluxes from a two-layer model using DMS concentration in the ASIT seawater. The experiments also determined the influence of elevated ozone, with one ASIT headspace amended with 10 ppbv ozone while the other provided an unamended control. Elevated ozone resulted in a decrease in DMS flux, corresponding to decreased conversion of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) to DMS in the seawater. The MeSH:DMS flux range was 11–18 % across experiments, in line with previous observations, indicating that MeSH represents a significant contribution to the atmospheric sulfur budget. Using the ASIT results in combination with ambient seawater concentrations during Sea2Cloud, significant linear correlations were identified for both DMS and MeSH fluxes with nanophytoplankton cell abundance (rDMS= 0.73 and rMeSH= 0.86), indicating an important role for this phytoplankton size class, and also its potential as a proxy for estimating DMS and MeSH emissions in chemistry-climate models.
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 22-06-2022
DOI: 10.5194/EGUSPHERE-2022-504
Abstract: Abstract. As the sea surface microlayer (SML) is the uppermost oceanic layer and differs in biogeochemical composition to the underlying subsurface water (SSW), it is important to determine whether processes in the SML modulate gas exchange, particularly for climate reactive gases. Enrichment of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and its precursor dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) have been reported in the SML, but it remains unclear how this is maintained whilst DMS is lost to the atmosphere. To examine this, a comprehensive study of DMS source and sink processes, including production, consumption and net response to irradiance, were carried out in deck-board incubations of SML water at five locations in different water masses in the South West Pacific east of New Zealand. Net consumption of DMSP and production of DMS in the light and dark occurred at all sites. The net response of DMS and DMSP to irradiance varied between stations but was always lower than conversion of DMSP to DMS in the dark. In addition, DMS photolytic turnover was slower than reported elsewhere, which was unexpected given high light exposure in the SML incubations. Although no relationships were apparent between DMS process rates and biogeochemical variables, including chlorophyll-a, bacteria and phytoplankton group, net bacterial DMSP consumption was correlated with DMSP and DMS concentrations, and also dinoflagellate and Gymnodinium spp. biomass, supporting the findings of a companion study that dinoflagellates play an important role in DMS cycling in the SML. However, net DMS production rates and accumulation were low relative to calculated air-sea DMS loss, confirming that the DMS cycling within the SML is unlikely to influence regional DMS emissions.
Location: New Zealand
Location: New Zealand
No related grants have been discovered for Alexia D Saint-Macary.