DMS Uplift by Tropical Cyclones as a Source of SO <sub>2</sub> in the Upper Troposphere

Abstract Airborne observations from ACCLIP on 2 August 2022, combined with Lagrangian particle dispersion model back trajectories, reveal that SO 2 mixing ratios at 14–16 km were enhanced by a factor of 4–6 in regions influenced by tropical cyclones (TCs). These enhancements are linked to rapid lofting of marine dimethyl sulfide (DMS) into the upper troposphere (UT). GEOS‐Chem simulations indicated that on 31 July 2022, TC‐scale circulation injected DMS into the UT within hours, with a mean flux of 9.4 kg hr −1 across 0.5–12 km and 8.4% of emissions penetrating above 12 km, consistent with observations of elevated DMS at the same altitudes. Because of its low solubility and longer UT lifetime (59.2 vs. 5.7 hr at the surface), DMS sustains SO 2 production that is largely resistant to wet scavenging. This TC‐driven pathway provides a significant natural SO 2 source in the UT, with implications for aerosol–cloud–climate interactions.

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Publication Details

Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
Published
2026-04-10
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1029/2025gl119981
Primary Topic
Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
Type
article
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article

DMS Uplift by Tropical Cyclones as a Source of SO 2 in the Upper Troposphere

Silvia Viciani, Xueqing Wang, Laura L. Pan, Rebecca S. Hornbrook et al.
Geophysical Research Letters
Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
article

DMS Uplift by Tropical Cyclones as a Source of SO 2 in the Upper Troposphere

Silvia Viciani, Xueqing Wang, Laura L. Pan, Rebecca S. Hornbrook, T. J. King. Liu, Andrew W. Rollins, Troy Thornberry, Francesco D’Amato, Xin Huang, Guanjie Jiao, Eric C. Apel, Xuan Dong, Aijun Ding
article en

Abstract

Abstract Airborne observations from ACCLIP on 2 August 2022, combined with Lagrangian particle dispersion model back trajectories, reveal that SO 2 mixing ratios at 14–16 km were enhanced by a factor of 4–6 in regions influenced by tropical cyclones (TCs). These enhancements are linked to rapid lofting of marine dimethyl sulfide (DMS) into the upper troposphere (UT). GEOS‐Chem simulations indicated that on 31 July 2022, TC‐scale circulation injected DMS into the UT within hours, with a mean flux of 9.4 kg hr −1 across 0.5–12 km and 8.4% of emissions penetrating above 12 km, consistent with observations of elevated DMS at the same altitudes. Because of its low solubility and longer UT lifetime (59.2 vs. 5.7 hr at the surface), DMS sustains SO 2 production that is largely resistant to wet scavenging. This TC‐driven pathway provides a significant natural SO 2 source in the UT, with implications for aerosol–cloud–climate interactions.

Geophysical Research LettersVol. 53(7)
NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (US), Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (CN), State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control (CN), NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory (US), National Research Council (IT), Nanjing University (CN), Tsinghua University (CN)
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Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
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