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Effects of Different Environmental Stressors on Marine Biogenic Sulfur Compounds in the Northwest Pacific and Eastern Indian Oceans

Geophysical Research Letters 2025 1 citation ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 53 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Feng Xu, Xiaosong Zhong, Honghai Zhang, Jin‐Wei Wu, Gao‐Bin Xu, Shibo Yan, Jian Wang, Xiao‐Jun Li, Gui‐Peng Yang

Summary

Researchers conducted ship-based experiments in the Northwest Pacific and Eastern Indian Oceans to study how dust deposition, ocean acidification, and microplastic exposure affect marine sulfur compounds that play key roles in atmospheric chemistry. They found that these environmental stressors alter phytoplankton communities and modify how cells produce and break down sulfur-containing compounds. The results suggest that initial ocean conditions like nutrient availability may influence how sensitive these systems are to environmental changes.

Study Type Environmental

Abstract Key roles of marine dimethyl sulfoniopropionate (DMSP), dimethyl sulfide (DMS), methyl mercaptan (MeSH), and carbon disulfide (CS 2 ) in the sulfur cycle and/or atmospheric chemistry, alongside the rapid environmental changes in marine ecosystems, underscore the need to understand their responses to dynamic ecosystem shifts. We conducted two ship‐based incubation experiments in the Northwest Pacific and Eastern Indian Oceans to explore how dust deposition, ocean acidification, and microplastic exposure impact these compounds. Our results demonstrate that these stressors not only alter phytoplankton community but also modify per‐cell DMSP production capacity and DMSP degradation pathways, subsequently influencing DMSP, DMS, and MeSH concentrations. CS 2 's response closely mirrors phytoplankton abundance and species. Initial physical‐chemical conditions, such as carbonate system and nutrient availability, may mediate the sensitivity of phytoplankton and sulfur compounds to environmental shifts. This study enhances our understanding of biogenic sulfur responses in dynamic marine ecosystems and provides essential basis for future climate modeling.

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