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A method for evaluation of acidic sulfate and nitrate in precipitation

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Abstract

A simple method is presented and used to estimate the portions of SO sup2−inf4 and NO sup3inf− that contribute to the strong acidity in weekly precipitation samples collected at three NADP sites in the eastern United States. The method assumes that, in general, the difference between SO sup2−inf4 and NH sup4inf+ represents acidic sulfate and the difference between NO sup3inf− and soil-derived materials (the sum of Ca2+, Mg2+, and K+) represents acidic nitrate. Acidic sulfate and nitrate are considered to be the predominant source of H+ (determined from laboratory pH) in the weekly precipitation samples. Most of the acidity for all three sites was attributed to acidic sulfate. The highest fraction of acidic SO sup2−inf4 to H+ wet deposition values was for the east-central Tennessee site (0.95) and the northeastern Illinois site (0.90), and the lowest fraction occurred at the central Pennsylvania site (0.75). The Tennessee site had the greatest acidic fraction of sulfate (0.84) and the Pennsylvania site had the greatest acidic fraction of nitrate (0.59).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Environmental Research, Biological, Environmental, and Medical Research Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 60439, Argonne, IL, U.S.A.

    D. L. Sisterson

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  1. D. L. Sisterson
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This work has been funded as part of the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program by the Office of Health and Environmental Research of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract W-31-109-ENG-38.

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Sisterson, D.L. A method for evaluation of acidic sulfate and nitrate in precipitation. Water Air Soil Pollut 43, 61–72 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00175583

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00175583

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