Dimethyl sulphide (DMS) sea-to-air transfer velocities in the Southern Ocean

海洋对我们大气层的组成有重大影响，因此也对我们生活的气候有重大影响。这是因为海洋和大气之间交换了大量重要的气候活性气体。了解这些气体在这个界面上转移的速率对整个社会都很重要，因为它使我们能够提高预测全球气候变化的数学模型的准确性。由海洋表层微生物产生的二甲基硫（DMS）是广阔而遥远的海洋大气中硫的主要来源。在大气中，它有助于形成气溶胶和云，减少到达地球的辐射量。因此，它实际上是在冷却地球，而不是二氧化碳（CO2）和其他温室气体。我们将与夏威夷大学的一个研究小组合作，在南大洋考察时量化二甲基硫醚的海-气交换率。这次备受瞩目的探险由美国国家海洋和大气管理局（NOAA）资助和组织，将涉及一系列侧重于海洋和大气之间气体交换的测量。我们的研究是一项关键的研究，因为：1。DMS对南大洋等偏远地区的气候影响最大; 2.南大洋存在的大风和巨浪将使我们能够解决有关空气/海洋气体交换的一些关键问题，特别是气泡和破碎波的影响; 3.南大洋是人为CO2的主要汇，我们将从研究DMS交换率中学到的信息将告诉我们大量关于CO2从大气进入海洋的速度的控制。这项工作的结果将发表在高质量的科学期刊上。这些信息将对气候科学家很有价值，并将最终提高决策者和公众对全球变化评估的准确性。

The oceans have a major influence on the composition of our atmosphere and therefore on the climate that we live in. This is because significant quantities of important climate-active gases exchange between the oceans and the atmosphere. Understanding the rates at which these gases transfer across this interface is important for society in general because it enables us to improve the accuracy of mathematical models that predict global climate change. Dimethyl sulphide (DMS), produced by microbes in the surface oceans is the major source of sulphur to the vast, remote marine atmosphere. In the atmosphere it contributes to the formation of aerosols and clouds, reducing the amount of radiation reaching Earth. So it actually cools the planet, as opposed to carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases. We will join forces with a research group from the University of Hawaii to quantify the sea-to-air exchange rate of DMS on an expedition to the Southern Ocean. This high-profile expedition is funded and organised by the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and will involve a suite of measurements focusing on gas exchange between ocean and atmosphere. Ours is a critical piece of research because: 1. DMS has its greatest influence on climate in remote regions such as the Southern Ocean; 2. The high winds and waves that exist in the Southern Ocean will allow us to untangle some of the key issues concerning air/sea gas exchange, particularly the impact of bubbles and breaking waves; and 3. the Southern Ocean is a major sink for anthropogenic CO2 and the information we will learn from studying DMS exchange rates will tell us a great deal about the controls on how fast CO2 enters the oceans from the atmosphere. The results of this work will be published in high-quality scientific journals. This information will be valuable to climate scientists and will ultimately improve the accuracy of assessments of Global Change for policy makers and the public.