Mr. Bassford et al., The concurrent observation of methyl iodide and dimethyl sulphide in marine air; implications for sources of atmospheric methyl iodide, ATMOS ENVIR, 33(15), 1999, pp. 2373-2383
Continuous atmospheric measurements of methyl iodide and dimethyl sulphide
were carried out at Mace Head, western Ireland, over a 4-week period in Jul
y 1996. The concurrent observations of methyl iodide and dimethyl sulphide
reported here display a clear association, indeed statistical analysis indi
cated a very significant degree of covariance. A simple yet informative use
of modelled 5-day back trajectories was employed in tandem with examinatio
n of local meteorology to illuminate the geographical source regions of met
hyl iodide and dimethyl sulphide. The interpretation of the atmospheric obs
ervations in terms of air-mass flow has elucidated part of the global methy
l iodide cycle and provides evidence for two distinct source regions of met
hyl iodide:
1. Under certain synoptic meteorological conditions, long-range transport o
f methyl iodide and dimethyl sulphide was observed from discrete areas of t
he sub-tropical Atlantic Ocean located in a region between 30-50 degrees N
and 20-50 degrees W.
2. Measurements taken under different conditions led us to believe that the
re was an additional source of methyl iodide that influenced the Mace Head
atmosphere, most likely produced by coastal macroalgae which inhabit waters
off the western coast of Ireland. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All right
s reserved.