Articles | Volume 25, issue 14
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7699-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7699-2025
Research article
 | 
22 Jul 2025
Research article |  | 22 Jul 2025

Asian dust transport of proteinaceous matter from the Gobi Desert to northern China

Ren-Guo Zhu, Hua-Yun Xiao, Meiju Yin, Hao Xiao, Zhongkui Zhou, Yuanyuan Pan, Guo Wei, and Cheng Liu

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Cited articles

Abe, R. Y., Akutsu, Y., and Kagemoto, H.: Protein amino acids as markers for biological sources in urban aerosols, Environ. Chem. Lett., 14, 155–161, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-015-0536-0, 2016. 
Adachi, K., Oshima, N., Gong, Z., de Sá, S., Bateman, A. P., Martin, S. T., de Brito, J. F., Artaxo, P., Cirino, G. G., Sedlacek III, A. J., and Buseck, P. R.: Mixing states of Amazon basin aerosol particles transported over long distances using transmission electron microscopy, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 11923–11939, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11923-2020, 2020. 
An, S., Couteau, C., Luo, F., Neveu, J., and DuBow, M. S.: Bacterial Diversity of Surface Sand Samples from the Gobi and Taklamaken Deserts, Microb. Ecol., 66, 850–860, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-013-0276-2, 2013. 
Barbaro, E., Zangrando, R., Vecchiato, M., Piazza, R., Cairns, W. R. L., Capodaglio, G., Barbante, C., and Gambaro, A.: Free amino acids in Antarctic aerosol: potential markers for the evolution and fate of marine aerosol, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 5457–5469, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-5457-2015, 2015. 
Batista, F. C., Ravelo, A. C., Crusius, J., Casso, M. A., and McCarthy, M. D.: Compound specific amino acid δ15N in marine sediments: A new approach for studies of the marine nitrogen cycle, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 142, 553–569, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2014.08.002, 2014. 
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Short summary
The concentrations and δ15N isotopic values of CAAs (combined amino acids) in surface soil and plants from the Gobi Desert, as well as in PM2.5 samples from four cities in Northern China, were measured. CAAs transported by Gobi dust were rich in alanine, glycine and glutamic acid. Glycine and leucine in Gobi Desert sources exhibited δ15N depletion by more than 6 ‰ compared to their values in urban PM2.5. Substantial protein-N deposition can be transported by the Gobi Desert to northern China over brief periods.
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