Methyl iodide (CH<sub>3</sub>I}, bromoform (CHBr<sub>3</sub>) and dibromomethane (CH<sub>2</sub>Br<sub>2</sub>), which are produced naturally in the oceans, take part in ozone chemistry both in the troposphere and the stratosphere. The significance of oceanic upwelling regions for emissions of these trace gases in the global context is still uncertain although they have been identified as important source regions. To better quantify the role of upwelling areas in current and future climate, this paper analyzes major factors that influenced halocarbon emissions from the tropical North East Atlantic including the Mauritanian upwelling during the DRIVE expedition. Diel and regional variability of oceanic and atmospheric CH<sub>3</sub>I, CHBr<sub>3</sub> and CH<sub>2</sub>Br<sub>2</sub> was determined along with biological and meteorological parameters at six 24 h-stations. Low oceanic concentrations of CH<sub>3I</sub> from 0.1–5.4 pmol L<sup>-1</sup> were equally distributed throughout the investigation area. CHBr<sub>3</sub> of 1.0–42.4 pmol L<sup>-1</sup> and CH<sub>2</sub>Br<sub>2</sub> of 1.0–9.4 pmol L<sup>-1</sup> were measured with maximum concentrations close to the Mauritanian coast. Atmospheric mixing rations of CH<sub>3</sub>I of up to 3.3, CHBr<sub>3</sub> to 8.9 and CH<sub>2</sub>Br<sub>2</sub> to 3.1 ppt above the upwelling and 1.8, 12.8, respectively 2.2 ppt at a Cape Verdean coast were detected during the campaign. While diel variability in CH<sub>3</sub>I emissions could be mainly ascribed to oceanic non-biological production, no main driver was identified for its emissions in the entire study region. In contrast, oceanic bromocarbons resulted from biogenic sources which were identified as regional drivers of their sea-to-air fluxes. The diel impact of wind speed on bromocarbon emissions increased with decreasing distance to the coast. The height of the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) was determined as an additional factor influencing halocarbon emissions. Oceanic and atmospheric halocarbons correlated well in the study region and in combination with high oceanic CH<sub>3I</sub>, CHBr<sub>3</sub> and CH<sub>2</sub>Br<sub>2</sub> concentrations, local hot spots of atmospheric halocarbons could solely be explained by marine sources. This conclusion is in contrast with previous studies that hypothesized the occurrence of elevated atmospheric halocarbons over the eastern tropical Atlantic mainly originating from the West-African continent.