Particle size distributions of n-alkanes and 210Pb in aerosols off the coast of Peru

Lipid class compounds have been used to determine the sources of organic material in atmospheric aerosols from remote marine areas 1–6 . Recently, it has been shown that the temporal variability of terrestrial source marker organic compounds in aerosols from the tropical North Pacific is directly related to the seasonality of dust storm activity in China 3,4 . However, little is known about the detailed emission and transport mechanisms of these compound classes from the continents. We report here, as part of the Sea/Air Exchange Program (SEAREX), the particle size distributions of aliphatic hydrocarbons and 210 Pb in aerosols in the upwelling zone off the coast of Peru to elucidate these mechanisms.