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Factors and sources influencing ionic composition of atmospheric condensate during winter season in lower troposphere over Delhi, India

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Abstract

Atmospheric condensate (AC) and rainwater samples were collected during 2010–2011 winter season from Delhi and characterized for major cations and anions. The observed order of abundance of cations and anions in AC samples was NH +4  > Ca2+ > Na+ > K+ > Mg2+ and HCO −3  > SO 2−4  > Cl− > NO −2  > NO −3  > F−, respectively. All samples were alkaline in nature and Σ cation/Σ anion ratio was found to be close to one. NH +4 emissions followed by Ca2+ and Mg2+ were largely responsible for neutralization of acidity caused by high NO x and SO2 emissions from vehicles and thermal power plants in the region. Interestingly, AC samples show low nitrate content compared with its precursor nitrite, which is commonly reversed in case of rainwater. It could be due to (1) slow light-mediated oxidation of HONO; (2) larger emission of NO2 and temperature inversion conditions entrapping them; and (3) formation and dissociation of ammonium nitrite, which seems to be possible as both carry close correlation in our data set. Principal component analysis indicated three factors (marine mixed with biomass burning, anthropogenic and terrestrial, and carbonates) for all ionic species. Significantly higher sulfate/nitrate ratio indicates greater anthropogenic contributions in AC samples compared with rainwater. Compared with rainwater, AC samples show higher abundance of all ionic species except SO4, NO3, and Ca suggesting inclusion of these ions by wash out process during rain events. Ionic composition and related variations in AC and rainwater samples indicate that two represent different processes in time and space coordinates. AC represents the near-surface interaction whereas rainwater chemistry is indicative of regional patterns. AC could be a suitable way to understand atmospheric water interactions with gas and solid particle species in the lower atmosphere.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to two anonymous referees for their critical comment in improving the quality of the manuscript. PK is thankful to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi for research fellowship during this work.

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  1. School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India

    Pawan Kumar & Sudesh Yadav

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  1. Pawan Kumar
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  2. Sudesh Yadav
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Correspondence to Sudesh Yadav.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Online resource 1

Showing the correlation between A) Mg2+ concentrations (ppm) measured on IC and FAAS, B) all measured ions in all AC sample using two different make Ion Chromatography. (DOC 75.0 kb)

Online resource 2

Showing the meteorological parameters observed during the sampling period of atmospheric condensate samples (DOCX 14.8 kb)

Online resource 3

Correlation matrix for ionic species studied in atmospheric condensate collected over Delhi (DOC 44.5 kb)

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Kumar, P., Yadav, S. Factors and sources influencing ionic composition of atmospheric condensate during winter season in lower troposphere over Delhi, India. Environ Monit Assess 185, 2795–2805 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-012-2749-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-012-2749-z

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