Description: Measurements of bromoform (CHBr3), diiodomethane (CH2I2), chloroiodomethane (CH2ICl) and bromoiodomethane (CH2IBr) were made in the water column (5–100 m depth) of the Southern Ocean within 0–40 km of the Antarctic sea ice during the ANTXX1/2 transect of the German R/V Polarstern, at five locations between 70–72°S and 9–11°W in the Antarctic spring/summer of 2003–2004. Some of the profiles exhibited a very pronounced layer of surface sea-ice meltwater, as evidenced by salinity minima and temperature maxima, along with surface maxima in concentrations of CHBr3, CH2I2, CH2ICl and CH2IBr. These results are consistent with in situ surface halocarbon production by ice algae liberated from the sea ice, although production within the sea ice followed by transport cannot be entirely ruled out. Additional sub-surface maxima in halocarbons occurred between 20 and 80 m. At a station further from shore and not affected by surface sea-ice meltwater, surface concentrations of CH2I2 were decreased whereas CH2ICl concentrations were increased compared to the stations influenced by meltwater, consistent with photochemical conversion of CH2I2 to CH2ICl, perhaps during upward mixing from a layer at ∼ 70 m enhanced in iodocarbons. Mean surface (5–10 m) water concentrations of halocarbons in these coastal Antarctic waters were 57 pmol l− 1 CHBr3 (range 44–78 pmol l− 1), 4.2 pmol l− 1 CH2I2 (range 1.7–8.2 pmol l− 1), 0.8 pmol l− 1 CH2IBr (range 0.2–1.4 pmol l− 1), and 0.7 pmol l− 1 CH2ICl (range 0.2–2.4 pmol l− 1). Concurrent measurements in air suggested a sea-air flux of bromoform near the Antarctic coast of between 1 and 100 (mean 32.3, median 10.4) nmol m− 2 day− 1 and saturation anomalies of 557–1082% (mean 783%, median 733%), similar in magnitude to global shelf values. In surface samples affected by meltwater, CH2I2 fluxes ranged from 0.02 to 6.1 nmol m− 2 day− 1, with mean and median values of 1.9 and 1.1 nmol m− 2 day− 1, respectively.

Description: Bromoform released from phytoplankton and kelp in the ocean is the largest known carrier of bromine to the atmosphere. The photoproducts of atmospheric bromoform catalyse ozone depletion. Laboratory investigations were conducted into the link between nutrient limitation and bromoform production using axenic cultures of two warm-water diatoms (Chaetoceros neogracile and Phaeodactylum tricornutum). During exponential growth the bromoform production was 2 000–3 000 nmol bromoform (g Chl a)−1 h−1, i.e. 10–100 times higher than earlier values for temperate and cold-water diatoms. Bromoform production decreased down to zero under CO2 and nitrate limitation for both species. These results suggest that the bromoform production could be directly related to bromoperoxidase activity (and irradiance) only during exponential growth, whereas compounds other than bromoform might be formed under nutrient limitation.