Dimethyl sulfide cycling in the sea surface microlayer in the southwestern Pacific – Part 1: Enrichment potential determined using a novel sampler

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 sampled 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.