Phytoplankton-derived sulfur particles do not decrease over the industrial era

What is it about?

Marine phytoplankton are the base of ocean ecosystems. Decreasing methanesulfonic acid (MSA) concentrations across Greenland ice cores have suggested declining North Atlantic phytoplankton abundance, with implications for ocean ecosystems and climate. MSA is used to infer phytoplankton abundance because phytoplankton emits dimethyl sulfide (DMS), which is oxidized to MSA and sulfate. However, atmospheric chemistry controls how much DMS is converted to MSA vs. sulfate. Here, we measure DMS-derived sulfate compared to MSA in a Greenland ice core over the industrial era. We show that total biogenic sulfur, the sum of MSA and DMS-derived sulfate, is relatively steady over the industrial era, but MSA declines because anthropogenic pollution affects the ratio of MSA vs. DMS-derived sulfate. Therefore, interpreting MSA as a proxy for DMS emissions must consider atmospheric chemistry.

Featured Image

Photo by Thierry Meier on Unsplash

Photo by Thierry Meier on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Phytoplankton are the base of the ocean food web. If phytoplankton abundance decreases, animals that eat phytoplankton (and animals that eat animals that eat phytoplankton) will have less food to eat. This could affect many creatures living in the ocean and human populations that rely on fishing for sustenance. Finally, phytoplankton consume carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, similarly to trees on land. If primary productivity decreases, this could have implications for our “carbon budget.” A previous study suggested phytoplankton populations in the North Atlantic were declining. Our study shows that the data used to conclude phytoplankton were declining was affected by atmospheric chemistry. When we measured total sulfur from phytoplankton in an ice core, we found that there is no decline over the industrial era.

Perspectives