Dimethylsulfide in the surface water of the East China Sea

Dimethylsulfide (DMS) concentrations were measured in surface seawater samp les collected at 32 stations in the East China Sea. The DMS concentrations varied from 1.8 to 5.7 nmol/L with an average of 3.4 nmol/L. The high conce ntrations of DMS were found in productive regions on the continental shelf. The horizontal distribution of DMS was closely related to the distribution trend of chlorophyll a. A highly significant correlation was found between the DMS and chlorophyll a data for all the samples. DMS concentration was also significantly correlated to the level of primary production in the stu died sea area. Other environmental factors for influencing the distribution of DILIS, such as zooplankton biomass, surface seawater temperature. salin ity and nutrients (including nitrate, phosphate and silicate) were also exa mined. Among these factors, both zooplankton biomass and nitrate content ap peared to be significantly correlated to the DMS concentration. The flux of DMS from the East China Sea to the atmosphere was estimated to be 3.4 mu m ol/m(2)/d. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.