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The hydrochemistry properties of precipitation in karst tourism city (Guilin), Southwest China

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Abstract

A comprehensive study on the chemical compositions of rainwater was carried out from January 2008 to November 2011 in Guilin, China. The 396 samples were analyzed for pH and electrical conductivity, and 44 among of 396 samples were analyzed for major ions. The result shows that pH value ranges from 3.44 to 7.16, and the occurrences of acid rain may increase with natural factors and human activities. The order of the main ion concentration in precipitation is SO4 2− > Ca2+ > NH4 + > NO3 − > Cl− > Na+ > F− > Mg2+ > K+ (weighted average). The correlation of the main cations, neutralization factors (NF), enrichment factor, and ionic ratio shows that acid rain can be mitigated slightly by the neutralization effect of a large amount of alkali ions. The SO4 2−, NO3 −, NH4 +, and a fraction of Ca2+ may originate from emissions of human activities, and the K+, Mg2+, and a majority of Ca2+ may originate from weathering of soil and rock. Mg2+ may transport long distance from large cities in the surrounding area. Among them, hyper-accumulation of NO3 − is produced by lots of vehicle and festival emissions. The hydrochloride may increase rainfall acidity, which refers to the temporary acidity. In addition to the input of pH value and acid ions, the input of alkali ions should be considered in the future evaluation of acid deposition in cites.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41402324), the Project of the China Geological Survey (12120113005100), the Project of Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi (2014GXNSFBA118228), and Project of Institute of karst geology, CAGS (201320, 201429).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Shi Yu & Yi-Ming Kuo

  2. Karst Dynamics Laboratory, Institute of Karst Geology, Ministry of Land and Resources/GuangXi, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Guilin, China

    Shi Yu, Wenyue Du, Shiyi He & Ping-An Sun

  3. State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Yi-Ming Kuo

  4. School of Geography Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China

    Yaqiong Yuan & Rui Li

  5. Guilin Environment Protection Monitoring Station, Guilin, 541004, China

    Youshan Li

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  1. Shi Yu
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  3. Wenyue Du
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  4. Shiyi He
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  7. Rui Li
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Correspondence to Yi-Ming Kuo.

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Yu, S., Kuo, YM., Du, W. et al. The hydrochemistry properties of precipitation in karst tourism city (Guilin), Southwest China. Environ Earth Sci 74, 1061–1069 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4235-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4235-8

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