Atmospheric particulate matter was simultaneously collected at three sites
during an intensive campaign in August 1996. Two of the sampling sites were
located in rural areas near or within forests. The third site was the Univ
ersity campus on the outskirts of the town of Aveiro. The collected aerosol
was analysed in relation to black and organic carbon content. The particul
ate organic matter was extracted with solvents and characterised by Gas Chr
omatography and Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Most of the organic mass identif
ied consists of alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), ketones, a
ldehydes, alcohols and fatty acids both having a biogenic and anthropogenic
origin. Photochemical products deriving from volatile organic compounds (V
OC) emitted by vegetation represent an important fraction of the organic ae
rosol content. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.