Impact of BrO on dimethylsulfide in the remote marine boundary layer

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Abstract
We have used a global three‐dimensional chemical transport model coupled to a detailed size‐resolved aerosol microphysics module to study the impact of BrO on dimethylsulfide (DMS) in the remote marine boundary layer. Our model results suggest BrO contributes 16% of the global annual DMS oxidation sink. This effect is most profound over the SH oceans where low NOx concentrations and a high sea salt aerosol source, coupled with high DMS concentrations, drives a large contribution of BrO to DMS oxidation (>20%). Bromine chemistry also results in an 18% reduction in the global DMS burden and lifetime. In addition, when we use an alternative DMS source parameterization resulting in a factor 2 increase in DMS flux the release of bromine from sea salt aerosol increases by 50–60% in the southern hemisphere summer because of additional aerosol acidity. This suggests a possible DMS‐SO2‐sea salt‐BrO marine aerosol feedback mechanism that acts to reduce the sensitivity of the DMS lifetime to increases in DMS emission.

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