Sunlight on the sea

In this last week the Brazilian cities of Sao Paulo and Recife have experienced records levels of UV exposure. While a UV index of 6-7 is ¨high risk", and "very high risk" is 8-10, Sao Paulo was scorched with an index of 14.

As the sun burns us it also beats down on the ocean surface and the algae that live there. What happens next is the subject of the CLAW hypothesis, which proposes a negative feedback loop, as follows.....

Dimethylsulphide produced by phytoplankton is oxidised by bacteria to produce a sulphate aerosol on the sea surface which is a major source of cloud condensation nuclei. So more clouds, less photosynthesis and a feedback loop.

That´s fine, but of course the real world is much more complicated than that. For instance, solar radiation is a double edged sword. There is increased photosynthesis, and temperature for growth, but what of UV? UV-B damages DNA in the bacteria required for DMS oxidation, killing them. It also harms the phytoplankton, who respond by producing anti-oxidants, including DMS. Together these factors increase considerably the amount of DMS in the ocean, so oceanic [DMS] and levels of UV are linked through the year. But DMS in the atmosphere and the surface waters is attacked by UV, leading to it´s photo destruction.

So what happens when UV increases beyond previous levels? Does the extra production of DMS still lead to more cloud cover, a negative feedback? Or does UV kill off the oxidising bacteria and cause photodestruction in the atmosphere, leading to less cloud clover, and in turn, more UV exposure - a positive feedback loop? Oceanic acidification, as described previously by Ruth, changes water chemistry and inhibits phytoplankton growth, and so complicates matters still further.

The processes mentioned here take place on such a massive scale that they affect deeply the world climate. They are incredibly complex, and rely on a interlinked series of feedback loops. What happens when feedback is disrupted has yet to be seen.

For more detail see;

Miles, CJ, Bell, TG, Lenton, TM 2009. Testing the relationship between the solar radiation dose and surface DMS concentrations using ub situ data. Biogeosciences, 6, 1927-1934.

Miles, C., Bell, T., & Lenton, T. (2009). Testing the relationship between the solar radiation dose and surface DMS concentrations using in situ data Biogeosciences, 6 (9), 1927-1934 DOI: 10.5194/bg-6-1927-2009