Biomass burning is a major source for gaseous and particulate atmospheric pollution over southern Africa and globally. The purpose of this study was to quantify biomass burning emissions in an attempt to better understand and predict associated environmental impacts. Sixty biomass burning experiments were carried out November 2000-January 2001 in three regions of southern Africa that are representative of major regional ecosystem types: Etosha National Park (Namibia), Kruger National Park (South Africa), and woodland sites in Zambia and Malawi.