Organic Volatile Sulfur in Lakes Ranging in Sulfate and Dissolved Salt Concentration Over Five Orders of Magnitude

Organic volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) were studied in six hypersaline lakes (southern Saskatchewan) and in dilute wetland ponds (Hudson Bay Lowlands, HBL). $[SO_4^2-]$ (0.0002-64 g $liter ^-1$) and salt concentration (0.003-370 g $liter^-1$) ranged over 5 orders of magnitude. Organic VSC concentrations in ponds and lakes with $[SO_4^2-] 20 g $SO_4^2- liter^-1$, however, had VSC concentrations several orders of magnitude higher. Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) was the dominant species, reaching a concentration of 3,050 nM in one salt lake-the highest concentration yet recorded. Carbonyl sulfide (COS), methanethiol (MSH), dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), and carbon disulfide $(CS_2)$ were also detected. In the salt lakes, [DMS], [MSH], and [total VSC] were positively correlated (P