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Updated: Apr 28, 2026

Production and Measurement of Organic Particulate Matter in the Harvard Environmental Chamber
Published on: November 18, 2018
Biogenic and anthropogenic organic components of Saharan sands
Catia Balducci1, Riad Ladji2, Valeria Muto1
1CNR, Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, Monterotondo Stazione, Rome, Italy.
Abstract:
Till now, the Sahara desert sands have scarcely characterized for their organic contents, despite they are known to heavily affect Europe and America when transported by winds. In this study, the composition of sands collected in ten oasis lying in two regions of the Algerian Sahara during 2011 was investigated with regards to organic fraction. Attention was paid to anthropogenic and biogenic sources of organics associated to sands, through the characterization of n-alkanes, n-alkanoic and n-alkanedioic acids, n-alkanols, sterols, PAHs and caffeine. The organic fraction load on sands associable to natural sources was higher in the Region of Biskra than in that of Ouargla. The biogenic contribution to the total amount of organics in sands exceeded that of the anthropogenic sources. The composition of sands from Hassi Messaoud, compared to that observed there in 2006, showed that the anthropic impact over the region was not changed.
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