Proposal Abstract:
The project will examine the effects of a major biological change that has occurred recently in the Bering Sea. Once a diatom-dominated ocean, the Bering Sea has changed to a coccolithophore-dominated ocean. The dramatic change in phytoplankton abundance has many ramifications, not the least of which is that coccolithophores emit the gases Dimethylsulfide (DMS) and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). DMS and DMSO are greenhouse gases and the introduction of these gases in the Arctic could lead to enhanced warming of the region and concomitant effects beyond the Arctic.