Marine emissions of methanethiol increase aerosol cooling in the Southern Ocean
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Ocean-emitted dimethyl sulfide (DMS) is a major source of climate-cooling aerosols. However, most of the marine biogenic sulfur cycling is not routed to DMS but to methanethiol (MeSH), another volatile whose reactivity has hitherto hampered measurements. Therefore, the global emissions and climate impact of MeSH remain unexplored. We compiled a database of seawater MeSH concentrations, identified their statistical predictors, and produced monthly fields of global marine MeSH emissions adding to DMS emissions. Implemented into a global chemistry-climate model, MeSH emissions increase the sulfate aerosol burden by 30 to 70% over the Southern Ocean and enhance the aerosol cooling effect while depleting atmospheric oxidants and increasing DMS lifetime and transport. Accounting for MeSH emissions reduces the radiative bias of current climate models in this climatically relevant region.
Source: Science Advances
Institutions: University of East Anglia, Institut de Ciències del Mar, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Instituto de Química Física Blas Cabrera, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Básicas, Shandong University, Météo-France, Old Dominion University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Cyprus Institute, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement
Language: English
Subfield: Atmospheric Science
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
OpenAlex ID: W4404789406