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Four years' observations of terrestrial lipid class compounds in marine aerosols from the western North Pacific
Author(s) -
Kawamura K.,
Ishimura Y.,
Yamazaki K.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
global biogeochemical cycles
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.512
H-Index - 187
eISSN - 1944-9224
pISSN - 0886-6236
DOI - 10.1029/2001gb001810
Subject(s) - aerosol , wax , environmental chemistry , chemistry , carbon fibers , carbon number , seawater , dry weight , gas chromatography , botany , biology , chromatography , ecology , organic chemistry , materials science , alkyl , composite number , composite material
In order to understand the long‐range atmospheric transport of terrestrial organic matter over the open ocean, marine aerosol samples were collected on a biweekly basis from 1990 to 1993 in a remote island, Chichi‐Jima, in the western North Pacific. The samples were analyzed for lipid class compounds using a capillary gas chromatography (GC) and GC/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). A homologous series of n‐alkanes (C 20 ‐C 40 ), alcohols (C 13 ‐C 34 ), fatty acids (C 9 ‐C 34 ) and α,ω‐dicarboxylic acids (C 7 ‐C 28 ) were detected in the aerosol samples. Distributions of n‐alkanes (0.17–14 ngm −3 , average 1.7 ngm −3 ) are characterized by a strong odd‐carbon number predominance (CPI ratios, average 4.5) with a maximum at C 29 or C 31 , indicating that n‐alkanes are mainly derived from terrestrial higher plant waxes. Fatty alcohols (0.19–23 ngm −3 , average 2.0 ngm −3 ) show an even‐carbon number predominance with a maximum generally at C 26 or C 28 , again indicating a contribution from terrestrial higher plants. On the other hand, fatty acids (2.5–38 ngm −3 , average 14 ngm −3 ) show a bimodal distribution with two maxima at C 16 and C 24 or C 28 . Lower molecular weight fatty acids (generally