The Marine Organic Sulfur Cycle

Abstract

Organic sulfur (OS) in the ocean is produced in vast quantities by primary producers that fix inorganic sulfate into proteins, metabolites, and other ubiquitous biomolecules. As biogenic OS is transported and transformed through the marine environment, it is joined by OS from two additional sources: abiogenic OS from sulfurization under anoxic conditions, and geological OS from the weathering of sediments and rocks. Important differences in the properties of the OS from these sources affect its fate in the environment and underlie the formation of recalcitrant dissolved organic matter and sedimentary kerogen. This review builds connections between the rapid OS cycle in the surface ocean and these longer-lived reservoirs, applying our growing knowledge of particle fluxes and organic matter dynamics at the sediment–water interface. Future studies on marine OS are poised to help us better understand the implications of these fluxes for the carbon cycle and climate across human and geological timescales.