Recently, Rocco et al. suggested a phytoplankton source of benzene and toluene in the surface ocean. They used mesocosm and phytoplankton culture experiments to show that phytoplankton species produce benzene and toluene at variable rates. Misztal et al. also used mesocosm experiments to suggest a diurnally varying source of toluene from the coccolithophore microalga Emiliania huxleyi. There also exists some evidence for toluene production by the coral microalgal symbionts Symbiodiniaceae and two members of its core bacterial microbiome . Toluene has been found to be produced by 20 bacterial genera and by bacteria isolated from surface seawater in Antarctica . This set of evidence suggests that both phytoplankton and marine bacteria play a role in producing toluene in seawater. While experiments show that benzene and toluene can be produced by marine biota, in situ measurements are needed to quantify the magnitude of their air-sea flux and the atmospheric importance thereof.