Simultaneous ground-based measurements of chemical composition, size distribution, and column optical thickness at 670 nm of atmospheric aerosols have been performed at Sal Island (Cape Verde) during the winter season when African dust is transported in the lower troposphere. Mineral dust and, occasionally, sea salt dominate the aerosol mass load, whereas the excess sulfates plus the carbonaceous aerosol (particulate organic matter and black carbon) contributions to the mass load remain lower than 5% on average. We compute the total aerosol optical depth (AOD) by combining optical properties derived from measured size distributions and vertical concentration profile of each aerosol type estimated from surface elemental concentrations and meteorological observations. Results are very consistent with direct Sun photometer measurements. This allows us to derive the chemical apportionment of AOD in this region: mineral dust from Africa controls the total AOD and generally dominates AOD even in the absence of dust outbreak; on average, sea salt, excess sulfate, and carbonaceous aerosols all together only contribute to an averaged background AOD of 0.04 at 670 nm. ¿ 1999 American Geophysical Union