www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/2/1181/2002/ doi:10.5194/acpd-2-1181-2002 © Author(s) 2002. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Sensitivity study of dimethylsulphide (DMS) atmospheric concentrations and sulphate aerosol indirect radiative forcing to the DMS source representation and oxidation 1Laboratoire d’Optique Atmosphérique, CNRS UMR 8518, USTL, Villeneuve d’Ascq, France 2Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement, CEA/CNRS, Gif sur Yvette, France 3Laboratoire d’Océanographie Dynamique et de Climatologie, CNRS/UPMC/IRD, Paris, France 4Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l’Environnement, CNRS, Saint-Martin-d’Héres, France 5Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Air Chemistry Department, Mainz, Germany 6Service d’Aéronomie, CNRS/UPMC/UVSQ, Paris, France 7Centre for Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India Abstract. The global sulphur cycle has been simulated using a general circulation model with a focus on the source and oxidation of atmospheric dimethylsulphide (DMS). The sensitivity of atmospheric DMS to the oceanic DMS climatology, the parameterisation of the sea-air transfer and to the oxidant fields have been studied. The importance of additional oxidation pathways (by O3 in the gas- and aqueous-phases and by BrO in the gas phase) not incorporated in global models has also been evaluated. While the global DMS flux is well constrained at 24-27 Tg S yr -1, there are large differences in the spatial and seasonal distribution of the atmospheric DMS flux generated from the three climatologies of oceanic DMS considered here. The relative contributions of OH and NO3 radicals to DMS oxidation depends critically on which oxidant fields are prescribed in the model. Oxidation by O3 appears to be significant at high latitudes in both hemispheres. Oxidation by BrO could be significant even for BrO concentrations at sub-pptv levels in the marine boundary layer. Discussion Paper (PDF, 4443 KB) Interactive Discussion (Closed, 6 Comments) Final Revised Paper (ACP) Citation: Boucher, O., Moulin, C., Belviso, S., Aumont, O., Bopp, L., Cosme, E., von Kuhlmann, R., Lawrence, M. G., Pham, M., Reddy, M. S., Sciare, J., and Venkataraman, C.: Sensitivity study of dimethylsulphide (DMS) atmospheric concentrations and sulphate aerosol indirect radiative forcing to the DMS source representation and oxidation, Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., 2, 1181-1216, doi:10.5194/acpd-2-1181-2002, 2002. Bibtex EndNote Reference Manager XML |