A series of experiments were conducted in artificial seawater to study the effects of salinity and surface tension on the bubble-mediated sea-to-air transfer of surfactant materials. The bubble transport of a surfactant tracer (14C-labeled oleic acid) from seawater to the air-water interface and, subsequently, to a 10-cm height above the water surface by bubble bursting was measured. The change in surface tension induced by bubbling was also determined. We have found that the amount of oleic acid transported to the water surface by bubble scavenging increases as the salinity increases. In consequence, so does the quantity of oleic acid ejected into the air. The ratio of the quantity of oleic acid ejected to a height of 10 cm above the water surface to the amount transported to the water surface was constructed. This ratio was found to increase with decreasing surface tension, indicating that the energetics of the bubble bursting process are strongly influenced by the surface tension encountered during bursting. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1993