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Biological oceanography

Sulphur, climate and the microbial maze

Nature volume 387, pages 857–858 (1997)Cite this article

It might seem strange that marine algae and climate are linked, but there is a connection and it occurs through the production of a compound which breaks down to release volatile dimethyl sulphide — DMS, (CH3)2S — and acrylic acid. Formation of the volatile trace gas has implications that go far beyond the level of an individual cell or microbial population, because DMS is a key compound in the global sulphur cycle and its oxidation products influence atmospheric acidity, as well as cloud formation and the Earth's temperature1. The compound in question is dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP), which algae synthesize to help maintain their osmotic balance with sea water.

Papers on pages and of this issue advance our understanding of how DMS is produced in the marine environment. Gage et al.2 reveal the biochemical pathway for DMSP synthesis in a diverse group of marine algae. Wolfe and co-workers3 provide fresh insight into the involvement of grazing microzooplankton in releasing DMSP from marine phytoplankton cells.

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Figure 1: False-colour satellite image depicting the reflectance due to a large-scale bloom of Emiliania huxleyi in the northeast Atlantic, south of Iceland, in June 1991.
Figure 2: Scanning electron micrograph of a cell of the marine phytoplankton species Emiliania huxleyi, approximately 5 μm in diameter.

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  1. School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, NR4 7TJ, Norwich, UK

    Gillian Malin

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  1. Gillian Malin
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Malin, G. Sulphur, climate and the microbial maze. Nature 387, 857–858 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/43075

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