Introduction

Long-range atmospheric transport of continentally derived particulate matter is an active area of research [e.g., Andreae, 1996; Griffin et al., 2002; Prospero,1996a, 1996b]. Aerosol particles have relevance for radiative forcing of climate and pollution transport [Wilkening et al., 2000]. The direct radiative effect of aerosols is strongly influenced by particle size and composition. Radiative effects of anthropogenic aerosols are relatively large compared to their mass contribution because they are in the size range that is radiatively most active [Seinfeld and Pandis, 1998]. Particles of source emissions from biological organic matter also contribute significantly to the total particle burden in the atmosphere, either directly [e.g., Arpino et al., 1972; Cox et al., 1982; Gagosian et al., 1981, 1982, 1987; Mazurek and Simoneit, 1997; Simoneit and Mazurek, 1982] or indirectly by burning of biomass [e.g., Abas et al., 1995; Crutzen and Andreae, 1990; Levine, 1991, 1996; Simoneit, 2002]

Composition and major sources of organic compounds of aerosol particulate matter sampled during the ACE-Asia campaign [.pdf, 1326.2Kb]