A volatility technique whereby aerosol particles are heated to the relatively high temperature of 860 ¿C is used to infer the presence of elemental carbon in polluted air masses in the vicinity of the west coast of Ireland. The volume of elemental carbon for submicrometre sized particles contained in the aerosol is estimated from the fall off in number concentration at a critical onset temperature of about 730--735 ¿C, as also obtained for laboratory carbon ink aerosol. The technique permits determination of the elemental carbon volume percentage of the total fine aerosol volume, and an estimation of the abundance of elemental carbon contained within the black carbon fraction of the atmospheric aerosol. Supplementary black carbon mass concentration measurements were obtained using a thermal method and an aethalometer absorption method. The work suggests that elemental carbon can be identified using the volatility technique and that it can yield size-segregated information on the fraction of elemental carbon in atmospheric aerosol. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1994