Gaseous emissions from swine manure storage systmes represent a concern to air quality due to potential effects of hyrodgen sulphid, ammonia, methane, and volatile organic ompounds on environmental quality and human health. The lack of kowledge concerning functional aspects of swine management systems has been a major obstacle in the development and optimization of emissions abatement technologies for these point source. In this system a classification system based on gas emission characteristics anf effluent concentrations of total phosphorus (P) and total sulfur (S) was dreived and tested on 29 swine manure management systems in Iowa, Oklahoma, and North Carolina in an effort to elucidate functional characteristics of these systems. Four manure management systems classes identified that differed in effluent concentrations of P and S, methane, odor intensity, and air concentrations of volatile organic compounds. Odor intensity and concentrations of VOC’s in air emitted from swine manure management systems strongly corresponded. Odor intensity and VOC’s in air emiited from sien manure systems were stringly correlated. The concentration of VOC in air samples was highest with odour swine manure management systems that recived a high input of volatile solids. These systems were also shown to have the highest odour intensity levels. The emission rate for VOC’s and odour intensity associated with swine management systems were inversely correlated with methane and ammonia emission rates. The emission rates od methane, ammonia, and VOC’s were found t be dependant upon manure loading rate and were directly influenced by animal numbers.