Biomarker source information provided by long-chain alkenone (LCA) distribution patterns was used to assess the transport pathways of marine aerosols. The C37--C39 LCA were found in significant amounts in aerosols collected in New Zealand. Their occurrence in the atmosphere stems from their introduction by bubble-bursting processes during wave breaking. The surface water temperatures calculated from the Yk37 ratios suggested a local origin and short atmospheric residence times of the LCA. They were not detected in aerosol samples collected on American Samoa due to the absence of the source organisms in surface waters. The distribution of LCA was also investigated in size-fractionated aerosols over a range of 7.2 μm equivalent diameter. Their distribution over the size spectrum demonstrated that they were only associated with large particles (deq>3.0 μm), suggesting a direct injection of algal cells and/or their fragments into the atmosphere. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1990