CARBON-DISULFIDE MEASUREMENTS IN THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE WESTERN NORTH-ATLANTIC AND THE NORTHWESTERN SOUTH-ATLANTIC OCEANS

Carbon disulfide (CS2) measurements were made over the western and equ atorial North Atlantic Ocean and the northwestern and equatorial South Atlantic Ocean. Carbon disulfide was in the range 0.4-50 pptrv in the atmosphere of the western North Atlantic Ocean. Emissions from anthro pogenic sources and wet lands were found to be important although anth ropogenic sources were 4-6 times larger than biogenic sources. The flu x of CS2 from eastern North America between 30 and 39-degrees latitude was estimated to be 2 x 10(8)g yr-1 of sulfur. The anthropogenic cont ribution was 1.8 x 10(8)g yr-1 of sulfur whereas the contribution of m arshes was 0.2 x 10(8)g yr-1 of sulfur. Sources of CS2 at high latitud es in the northern hemisphere were comparatively weak. Carbon disulfid e levels in the western South Atlantic Ocean between -5 and 1-degrees latitude were in the range 0.2-6 pptrv. Most of the CS2 appeared to co me from biomass burning in Africa. Carbon disulfide was much higher cl ose to shore suggesting that the South American continent was a signif icant source although too few data were available to quantify it. On f erry flights from Wallops, Virginia to Natal, Brazil, CS2 levels at th e ferry altitude of about 6 kin averaged 1.2 pptrv. This background CS 2 was adequate to account for all the OCS in the atmosphere.