COVARIATIONS IN THE CONCENTRATIONS OF ORGANIC-COMPOUNDS ASSOCIATED WITH SPRINGTIME ATMOSPHERIC AEROSOLS

In the spring of 1985, 138 airborne particulate samples were collected at an urban site in Boulder, Colorado. Organic compounds desorbed from particles include terpenoids from biogenic sources, alkanes from vehicular and biological sources, and aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, lactones and furans from photochemical transformations and other sources. Concentrations of oxygenated species increased on sunny days relative to cloudy days or nights. Terpenoid concentrations increased when the wind direction was from a forested region west of the sampling site. Odd carbon number n-alkanes increased as temperature increased with the progressions of springtime.