THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DMS FLUX AND CCN CONCENTRATION IN REMOTE MARINE REGIONS

The relationship between the steady state cloud condensation nuclei (C CN) concentration and the dimethylsulfide (DMS) emission flux in remot e marine regions is investigated by modeling the principal gas-, aeros ol-, and aqueous-phase processes in the marine boundary layer (MBL). R esults are in reasonable quantitative agreement with the available mea surements of DMS, SO2, H2SO4, CCN, and condensation nuclei (CN) concen trations in remote marine regions of the globe and suggest that indeed DMS plays a major role in the particle dynamics of the MBL. For suffi ciently low DMS fluxes practically all the SO2, produced by DMS photoo xidation is predicted to be heterogeneously converted to sulfate in se a-salt aerosol particles. For DMS fluxes higher than approximately 2.5 mumole m-2 d-1 a linear relationship is found to exist between the CC N number concentration and the DMS flux.