Abstract

The diurnal-to-monthly behavior of the fluxes of OCS, H2S, and CS2 from a mixed-Spartina grass-covered site in a Wallops Island salt water marsh was determined through a series of experiments in August and September, 1982. Absolute flux values were determined for OCS and H2S, while only relative values were determined for CS2. The rates of emission of OCS and H2S were observed to vary diurnally and to be strongly influenced by tides. The time-averaged flux values show that such mixed-Spartina stands are insignificant global sources of H2S or CS2 and insignificant contributors to the global OCS cycle. These results demonstrate that some marsh regions play a minor role in the global sulfur budget and, consequently, that the inclusion of such areas in extrapolations of measurements of more productive regions could lead to an overestimate of the role of salt water marshes in the global sulfur budget. © 1986 D. Reidel Publishing Company.