Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Lipids in Harmattan aerosols of Nigeria

Nature volume 296, pages 848–849 (1982)Cite this article

Abstract

Terrestrial lipid detritus has been found in some pelagic sediments at great distances from land (for example, in the North Atlantic) and aeolian transport has been invoked as one input mechanism to explain this observation1. This is supported by the presence of the same lipids in oceanic aerosols, presumably derived from major wind systems originating on land2,3. Thus, it is vital to examine whether this lipid signature is observed on the continent in the ambient aerosols towards their source regions (such as the Harmattan). We have analysed solvent-extractable lipids in Harmattan aerosols collected in Nigeria and report here that the distributions of hydrocarbons indicate both a major contribution of plant waxes and lesser components of a complex composition, believed to originate from algal and other microbiological detritus in desiccated lacustrine muds or from eroded, recycled sedimentary organic matter.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Farrington, J. W., Frew, N. M., Gschwend, P. M. & Tripp, B. W. Estuar. Coast, mar. Sci. 5, 793 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Lepple, F. K. & Brine, C. J. J. geophys. Res. 81, 1141–1146 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Simoneit, B. R. T. Mar. Chem. 5, 443–464 (1977). Simoneit, B. R. T., Chester, R. & Eglinton, G. Nature 267, 682–685 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Morales, C. (ed.) Saharan Dust, Scope Rep. 14 (Wiley, New York, 1971).

  5. Hamilton, R. A. & Archbold, J. W. Q. Jl R. met. Soc. 71, 231–265 (1945).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Simoneit, B. R. T., Mazurek, M. A. & Cahill, T. A. J. Am. Pollut. Contr. Assoc. 30, 387–390 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Cooper, J. E. & Bray, E. E. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 27, 1113–1127 (1963).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Eglinton, G. & Hamilton, R. J. in Chemical Plant Taxonomy (ed. Swain, T.) 187–217 (Academic, New York, 1963).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  9. Simoneit, B. R. T. & Mazurek, M. A. Atmos. Envir. (in the press).

  10. Jones, J. G. J. gen. Microbiol. 59, 145–152 (1969).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Johnson, R. W. & Calder, J. A. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 37, 1943–1955 (1973).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Powell, T. G., Cook, P. J. & McKirdy, D. M. Am. Ass. petrol. Geol. Bull. 59, 618–632 (1975).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Hatcher, P. G., Simoneit, B. R. T. & Gerchakov, S. M. in Advances in Organic Geochemistry 1975 (eds Campos, R. & Goni, J.) 469–484 (ENADIMSA, Madrid, 1977).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Cranwell, P. A. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 42, 1532–1532 (1978).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. Simoneit, B. R. T., Halpern, H. I. & Didyk, B. M. in Biogeochemistry of Ancient and Modem Environments (eds Trudinger, P. A., Walter, M. R. & Ralph, B. J.) 201–210 (Springer, New York, 1980).

    Google Scholar 

  16. Giger, W., Schaffner, C. & Wakeham, S. G. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 44, 119–129 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Tissot, B. P. & Welte, D. H. Petroleum Formation and Occurrence (Springer, Berlin, 1978).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  18. Simoneit, B. R. T. in Chemical Oceanography, Vol. 7, 2nd edn (eds Riley, J. P. & Chester, R.) (Academic, London, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Boon, J. J., de Lange, F., Schuyl, P. J. W., de Leeuw, J. W. & Schenck, P. A. in Advances in Organic Geochemistry 1975 (eds Campos, R. & Goni, J.) 255–272 (ENADIMSA, Madrid, 1977).

    Google Scholar 

  20. McTainsh, G. Nature 286, 587–588 (1980).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. R. E. Cox

    Present address: School of Natural Resources, University of the South Pacific, PO Box 1168, Suva, Fiji

  2. B. R. T. Simoneit

    Present address: School of Oceanography, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemistry Department, University of Jos, PMB 2084, Jos, Nigeria

    R. E. Cox

  2. Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California, 90024, USA

    M. A. Mazurek

  3. Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, California, 90024, USA

    B. R. T. Simoneit

Authors
  1. R. E. Cox
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. A. Mazurek
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. B. R. T. Simoneit
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cox, R., Mazurek, M. & Simoneit, B. Lipids in Harmattan aerosols of Nigeria. Nature 296, 848–849 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/296848a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/296848a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing