Tropospheric Sulfur Budgets

DMS emission fluxes from Antarctic inshore waters may be important for the tropospheric sulfur budget of Antarctica during summer. The contribution of the Southern Ocean to the global atmospheric sulfur budget (ca. 0.2 Tmol yr1) is consistent with present estimates of the total global DMS emission from the world s oceans (0.5-1.2 Tmol yr1). 

DMS reactions in the troposphere are believed to lead to enhanced reflectivity of marine clouds [171] and thus DMS emissions may have a cooling influence on the atmosphere. One of the best demonstrations of the link between the natural atmospheric sulfur cycle and the physical climate system are the observations that link the satellite derived stratus cloud optical depth and observed DMS derived cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations at Cape Grim, Australia [175]. Statistical evidence indicates that the optical depth of the clouds is correlated with the number of CCN in the atmosphere. Thus, any UV-related changes at the surface of the ocean that result in the alteration in DMS flux to the atmosphere and the subsequent formation of CCN would also alter the atmospheric radiation budget for the affected region. 

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