Abstract
Volatile organic sulfur compounds (COS, CS2, CH3SH, DMS) from an Atlantic Meridional Transect of the RRS James Clark Ross (October-November 1998) are presented together with optical data and upper ocean chlorophyll data. The latitudinal distribution of DMS and CH3SH is consistent with a biological source with low values in oligotrophic areas and high values in coastal regions. The DMS/CH3SH ratio shows systematic variation between oligotrophic and coastal areas and seems to correlate inversely with absorbance and fluorescence of colored dissolved organic matter. The latitudinal distribution of COS and CS2 conform with existing models based on known sources (mainly photochemical) and sinks of these compounds. A system of photochemical provinces is developed for these compounds based on a previously published scheme. An estimate of the global distribution of these provinces is made based on data archives and remotely sensed data. (Author)