Through global air sampling, researchers found that the sulfur-containing compound hydroperoxymethyl thioformate (HPMTF) is created during the marine chemical cycle; the authors determined that at least 30% of oceanic dimethyl sulfide (DMS), the most abundant source of biological sulfur in the marine atmosphere, is transformed into HPMTF, which was not previously observed in the atmosphere, suggesting the need to reexamine how marine sulfur affects cloud formation and climate.
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Article # 19-19344: "Global airborne sampling reveals a previously unobserved dimethyl sulfide oxidation mechanism in the marine atmosphere," by Patrick R. Veres et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Patrick R. Veres, NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, CO; tel: 303-497-5018; email: < patrick.veres@noaa.gov >, < prveres@gmail.com >
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences