Carbonyl sulphide in and over seawater: summer data from the northeast Atlantic Ocean

Carbonyl sulphide (COS) concentrations in air and dissolved in seawater were determined during a cruise in summer 1997 in the northeast Atlantic Ocean. Seawater characteristics and meteorological parameters were monitored. Dissolved COS concentrations throughout the entire cruise exhibited a strong diel cycle with maximum concentrations in late afternoon and minimum concentrations at sunrise. This is in good agreement with the theory that COS is photochemically produced from dissolved organic matter during the day and removed by hydrolysis. The overall mean concentration of dissolved COS was 23.6 pmol dm-3; the daily mean varied according to water mass characteristics and was highest in upwelling areas owing to increased dissolved organic matter. Atmospheric COS concentrations, varying from about 450 to 800 pptv with an average value of 657 pptv, showed some dependency on air mass history and local COS flux from the sea surface. The exchange of COS between the ocean and the atmosphere depended on dissolved COS concentrations and wind speed. The daily integrated flux was always from the sea into the air, and the average was 1.3±0.8 g COS km-2 d-2. The collected data were used to test a mixed layer box model and a one-dimensional model, both describing the behaviour of COS in seawater. We found that the one-dimensional model simulates the data more closely, especially during the night.