This study presents the first observation of an important intermediate in the oxidation of DMS, a compound naturally emitted from the oceans that produces sulfate aerosols, which in turn affect cloud formation and climate.
Dimethyl sulfide (DMS, (CH3)2S), emitted by the oceans, is the most abundant biological source of sulfur in the marine atmosphere. Atmospheric DMS is oxidized to condensable products that form secondary aerosols that affect the Earth's radiative balance by scattering solar radiation and serving as cloud condensation nuclei.
An international study with the participation of the IQFR, presents the first detection in the atmosphere of hydroperoxymethyl thioformate (HPMTF, HOOCH2SCHO), an intermediate product in the oxidation scheme of DMS. This product, identified through global-scale airborne observations during the ATom campaign from the…