Methanethiol and dimethyl sulfide measurements in seawater and the atmosphere around the Antarctic Peninsula and in the Weddell Sea

Abstract. Inclusion of methanethiol (MeSH) in global chemistry–climate models has shown that MeSH emissions increase SO2, particulate sulfate and aerosol cooling over the Southern Ocean. However, measurements in the Southern Ocean are sparse. In February and March 2023, we deployed three online high-resolution mass spectrometers to measure MeSH and dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in seawater (down to 100 m in depth) and air during a cruise on the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula and the Weddell Sea. MeSH concentrations in surface seawater (mean 0.56, range 0.12 to 1.9 nmol dm-3) were within the range previously reported for the polar and subpolar regions. Considering concurrent DMS concentrations (mean 1.6, range 0.45 to 11.3 nmol dm-3), MeSH represented 30 ± 7 % of the ocean’s volatile methylated sulfur (VMS = DMS + MeSH). Depth profiles of MeSH showed higher concentrations in the euphotic layer. Sea to air fluxes of MeSH (mean 1.0, range 0 to 5.0 µmol m2 d-1) were comparable to those of DMS (mean 1.7, range -0.6 to 8.6 µmol m2 d-1). Ambient air MeSH (mean 15, range 1 to 60 pptv) was low and similar to other observations. Air DMS concentrations were about a factor of 10 higher than MeSH (mean 0.25, range 0.01 to 1.35 ppb) and there was excellent agreement between two different mass spectrometer instruments using different ionization chemistry. MeSH seawater concentrations, sea–air fluxes, and atmospheric mixing ratios displayed depletion during daytime. Overall, this dataset represents a useful resource for model validation.