Detecting organic tracers from biomass burning in the atmosphere

This is a brief review key to the literature on the determination of organic tracers from biomass burning which are detectable even after long-range global transport in total extracts of atmospheric particles. The major tracers are thermal degradation products from the biopolymer cellulose, namely the didehydromonosaccharide derivatives levoglucosan, galactosan and mannosan and the resin acid derivative dehydroabietic acid, with minor beta-sitosterol. Dehydroabietic acid is emitted primarily from burning of conifer fuel and these tracers are found in most aerosol samples from the North American continent. Particulate matter from the atmosphere over oceanic areas contains organic tracers from both natural and biomass burning emissions. The major biomarker compounds characterized are natural products from continental vegetation consisting primarily of epicuticular wax components and trace components from biomass burning emissions. The presence of these tracers in atmospheric particulate matter over the ocean confirms the long-range transport of smoke from biomass burning off the continents.