Sulfur (S) is a major heteroatom in organic matter. This project evaluated spatial variability in the concentration and molecular‐level composition of organic sulfur along gradients of depth and latitude. We measured the concentration of total organic sulfur (TOS) directly from whole seawater. Our data reveal high variability in organic sulfur, relative to established variability in total organic carbon or nitrogen. The deep ocean contained significant amounts of organic sulfur, and the concentration of TOS in North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) decreased with increasing age while total organic carbon remained stable. Analysis of dissolved organic matter extracts by ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry revealed that 6% of elemental formulas contained sulfur. The sulfur‐containing compounds were structurally diverse, and showed higher numbers of sulfur‐containing elemental formulas as NADW moved southward. These measurements of organic sulfur in seawater provide the foundation needed to define the factors controlling organic sulfur in the global ocean.

中文翻译：

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有机硫：海洋有机物的空间可变且研究不足的成分

硫（S）是有机质中的主要杂原子。该项目评估了有机硫的浓度和分子水平组成沿深度和纬度梯度的空间变异性。我们直接从整个海水中测量了总有机硫（TOS）的浓度。我们的数据显示，相对于总有机碳或氮的既定变异性，有机硫具有高度变异性。深海中含有大量有机硫，北大西洋深水（NADW）中TOS的浓度随着年龄的增长而降低，而总有机碳保持稳定。通过超高分辨率质谱法分析溶解的有机物提取物后发现，6％的元素分子式包含硫。含硫化合物的结构各不相同，随着NADW向南移动，含硫元素分子式的数量也增加了。海水中有机硫的这些测量为定义控制全球海洋中有机硫的因素提供了基础。