CO2 and DMS Flux measurement by the profiling buoy system

Micrometeorological methods are expected as crucial for the direct measurement of air-ocean exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) and dimethyl sulfide (DMS). These are able to observe temporally and spatially small-scaled flux of tracer gases. These methods will serve for the study on processes controlling air-ocean CO2 and DMS exchange. The aerodynamic gradient method ,which is one of micrometeorological ones, is plain and simple compared with the eddy-covariance method. A fine buoy system was applied for the measurement of CO2 and DMS concentration profile in the lower atmosphere during KH10-1 cruise on the North-western Pacific. DMS and other Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) gases were measured by Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS). Atmospheric DMS concentration was smaller at higher levels, and vertical gradients of that showed nearly ideal semi-logarithmic profile.