We performed airborne measurements of atmospheric trace gases and aerosol composition on the NCAR C-130 research aircraft over the tropical Indian Ocean during the Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX) intensive field phase in February and March 1999. Gases measured included acetone, acetonitrile, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide. The aerosol composition was analyzed for water-soluble ions, and black and organic carbon. South of the ITCZ, we sampled pristine air originating from the remote southern Indian Ocean. North of the ITCZ, signatures of heavy pollution were evident over large areas of the Indian Ocean. Heavy pollution was present in the marine boundary layer as well as in the free troposphere at altitudes up to almost 4000 m. Outflow from the Indian subcontinent as well as from other source regions (Arabian Sea, Southeast Asia) could be identified by back trajectory calculations using the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model. The highest pollutant concentrations were observed in a free tropospheric pollution layer ("residual layer"), which originated from the Indian continental boundary layer. High mixing ratios of acetonitrile (up to 0.8 ppb) and submicron aerosol potassium (up to 0.6 ppb) indicate an important contribution from biomass or biofuel burning sources. On the other hand, high mixing ratios of sulfur dioxide (up to 1.5 ppb) and aerosol sulfate (up to 3 ppb) indicate the influence of fossil fuel burning. (Author)