Marine Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds: Production, Emission, Atmospheric Transformation, and Climate Effects

• Published in: Current pollution reports Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 37
• Main Authors: Wang, Jinyan, Li, Jianlong, Tsona Tchinda, Narcisse, Du, Lin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 06.06.2025; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aerosols; Air pollution; Aquatic Pollution; Atmosphere; Atmospheric chemistry; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Autumn; Bacteria; Biological activity; Biota; Carbon; Carbon cycle; Chemical reactions; Chlorophyll; Climate change; Climate effects; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecosystems; Emissions; Environment; Environmental Law/Policy/Ecojustice; Feedback; Global climate; Heterogeneity; Industrial Pollution Prevention; Isomerization; Marine biology; Marine ecosystems; Metabolism; Microorganisms; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Nitrogen; Organic compounds; Oxidation; Photodegradation; Physiology; Plankton; Pollution; Radiation; Reaction mechanisms; Review; Seasonal variations; Seawater; Sulfur; Summer; Tropopause; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Winter; East China Sea; Yellow Sea; Volatile organic compounds; Marine organism; Secondary organic aerosol; Photooxidation; Climate feedback
• DOI: 10.1007/s40726-025-00365-7
• ISSN: 2198-6592

Purpose of Review Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) play a significant role in the global carbon cycle and climate change. While significant advancements have been made in terrestrial BVOCs research, critical gaps persist in understanding marine BVOCs, particularly their emission, multiphase oxidation pathways, and climate feedback mechanisms. Recent Findings Current atmospheric models underestimate the flux of marine VOCs. Recent studies have revealed isomerization pathways and heterogeneous reaction mechanisms, thereby revising the traditional theory dominated solely by gas-phase oxidation in atmospheric transformation of BVOCs. This advancement enables more accurate prediction of oxidation product distributions. These products can drive new particle formation at the tropopause, thereby influencing radiation balance and regulating climate through resultant feedback mechanisms. Summary This review systematically elaborates the sources and sinks of marine BVOCs, their atmospheric transformation mechanisms, and climate feedback, highlighting the critical role of marine biota in global climate regulation. The production and emission of marine BVOCs exhibit significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity, primarily regulated by marine internal processes including biological activities and chemical reactions. Upon entering the atmosphere via sea-air exchange, marine BVOCs undergo complex atmospheric oxidation processes to form aerosols (e.g., sulfur-containing aerosols, brown carbon) and reactive halogen species, thereby influencing the radiation balance and atmospheric oxidation capacity while exerting crucial feedback on global climate. This provides an overarching perspective for a more comprehensive understanding of the role of marine ecosystems in global climate regulation. Graphical Abstract