Using newly developed techniques, some preliminary data on hydrogen sulfide in surface waters of the western Atlantic have been obtained. Concentrations of total sulfide range from <0.1 to 1.1 nmol/L, and vary on a diel basis. At these concentrations, sulfide may affect the cycling of several trace metals via the formation of stable complexes. Production of sulfide in oxygenated seawater may occur through the hydrolysis of carbonyl sulfide or by sulfate reduction within macroscopic particles in the water column. Removal mechanisms can include oxidation, complexation with particulate trace metals, and metal sulfide precipitation. However, the temporal and spatial distributions suggest a complex set of processes governing the behavior of sulfide in the surface ocean. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1988