Tag Archives: Arctic Ocean

DMS is in the air…

There is a sweet, sticky seafood smell in the crisp Arctic air that makes me happy. It turns my neurons on every morning, when I bend over the port railing of the Amundsen on my way to the laboratory. This smell emanates from the sea surface and is called DMS, shorthand for dimethyl sulfide. I admit that sometimes, in the intimacy of the laboratory, I open a tiny bottle of pure DMS and smell it to find immediate comfort. And as you will see, I am not the only one.

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