Biological and physical controls on DMS,P dynamics in ice-shelf-influenced fast ice

Dimethylsulfide (DMS) is a volatile sulphur compound produced by the degradation of dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP), a metabolite synthesized by microalgae as i.a. cryoprotectant and osmoregulator. It is also an important climate-active gas, being the primary source of marine-derived sulphate aerosols which play an important role in the earth-atmosphere radiation balance. In the last two decades, there has been an increasing interest in the role of the marine cryosphere in the DMS,P cycle, motivated by repeated observations of very high DMS,P concentrations in sea ice. However, our understanding of the factors driving the spatiotemporal variations of these high concentrations, and hence the fate of the sea ice DMS pool, remains limited. To date, studies have essentially focused on biotic factors, attributing the high DMS,P concentrations to the high biomass of the sympagic communities, and to their strong physiological response to the low temperature and high salinity stresses of the brine habitat. We present here an approach integrating both biotic and abiotic factors, as we investigate the influence of sea ice growth processes and brine dynamics on the DMS,P cycle. We focus on a fast ice site (Cape Evans, McMurdo Sound, Antarctica) under the influence of ice-shelf waters, and provide measurements covering a full cycle of ice growth. We show a good correspondence between isolated maxima of DMS,P in interior ice and the occurrence of platelet crystals in the ice texture. We develop the idea that platelet ice formation in May strongly modifies the production of DMS,P by (1) favoring the incorporation of strong DMSP producers and by (2) exposing these producers to stronger environmental stresses. We then show the influence of the development and decline of a strong diatom bloom from October to November on bottom ice DMS,P concentrations. Finally, we show that the increase in brine volume fraction (permeability) on warming in early December triggers (1) an important release of DMS to the ocean through brine convection, and (2) a vertical redistribution of DMSP across the ice.