Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Chemical composition and source apportionment of rainwater at Guiyang, SW China

  • Published:
Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study systematically analyzed the concentrations of cations and anions and determined the pH in the rainwater at Guiyang from Oct. 2008 to Sep. 2009. The pH in the rainwater varied between 3.35 and 9.99 with a volume-weighted mean value of 4.23. The volume-weighted mean concentrations of anions followed the order SO4 2->Cl->F->NO3 -, whereas the volume-weighted mean concentrations of cations followed the order Ca2+>NH4 +>Na+>Mg2+>K+. This finding indicates that SO4 2- was the main anion and that Ca2+ and NH4 + were the main cations. Significant correlations between each pair of ions (SO4 2-, NO3 -, NH4 +, Ca2+, and Mg2+) were observed, suggesting that CaSO4, Ca(NO3)2, MgSO4, Mg(NO3)2, NH4NO3, (NH4)2SO4, and/or NH4HSO4 exist in the atmosphere at Guiyang. The soil-derived species (such as Ca2+) played an important role in the neutralization of the acidity in rainwater. The SO4 2- and NO3 - in the rainwater were mainly from anthropogenic sources, and their contributions accounted for 98.1 % and 94.7 %, respectively. NH4 + was also most likely derived from anthropogenic sources, such as domestic and commercial sewage, and played an important role in the neutralization of the rainwater at Guiyang.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aas, W., Shao, M., Jin, L., Larssen, T., Zhao, D., Xinag, R., Zhang, J., Xiao, J., Duan, L.: Air concentrations and wet deposition of major inorganic ions at five non-urban sites in China, 2001–2003. Atmos. Environ. 41, 1706–1716 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andreae, M.O., Talbot, R.W., Andreae, T.W., Harriss, R.C.: Formic and acetic acid over the central Amazon Region, 1, dry season. J. Geophys. Res. 93(D2), 1616–1624 (1988)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andreae, M.O., Talbot, R.W., Berrsheim, H., Beecher, K.M.: Precipitation chemistry in central Amazonia. J. Geophys. Res. 95(D10), 16987–16999 (1990)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Avila, A., Alarcón, M.: Relationship between precipitation chemistry and meteorological situations at a rural site in NE Spain. Atmos. Environ. 33(11), 1663–1677 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balasubramanian, R., Victor, T., Chun, N.: Chemical and statistical analysis of precipitation in Singapore. Water Air Soil Pollut. 130(1), 451–456 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cao, Y.Z., Wang, S., Zhang, G., Luo, J., Lu, S.: Chemical characteristics of wet precipitation at an urban site of Guangzhou, South China. Atmos. Res. 94(3), 462–469 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dikaiaka, J.G., Tsitouris, C.G., Siskos, P.A., Melissos, D.A., Nastos, P.: Rainwater composition in Athens, Greece. Atmos. Environ. 24B(1), 171–176 (1990)

    Google Scholar 

  • Gonçalves, F., Ramos, A.M., Freitas, S., Silva Dias, M.A., Massambani, O.: In-cloud and below-cloud numerical simulation of scavenging processes at Serra do Mar region, SE Brazil. Atmos. Environ. 36(33), 5245–5255 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guiyang Environmental Protection Bureau. Guiyang Environmental Bulletin (in Chinese) (2009)

  • Guizhou Statistical Yearbook: 2002. (2010).

  • Han, G., Tang, Y., Wu, Q., Tan, Q.: Acid rain and alkalization in southwestern China: chemical and strontium isotope evidence in rainwater from Guiyang. J. Atmos. Chem. 68, 139–155 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ito, M., Mitchell, M.J., Driscoll, C.T.: Spatial patterns of precipitation quantity and chemistry and air temperature in the Adirondack region of New York. Atmos. Environ. 36(6), 1051–1062 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jalali, Kolahchi: Groundwater quality in an irrigated, agricultural area of northern Malayer, western Iran. Nutr. Cycl. Agroecosyst. 80, 95–105 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, B.K., Hong, S.H., Lee, D.S.: Chemical composition of precipitation and wet deposition of major ions on the Korean peninsula. Atmos. Environ. 34(4), 563–575 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lei, H.C., TannerMei-Yuan, P.A., Shen, Z.L., Wu, Y.X.: The acidification process under the cloud in southwest China: observation results and simulation. Atmos. Environ. 31(6), 851–861 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu, X., Li, L.Y., Li, N., Yang, G., Luo, D., Chen, J.: Chemical characteristics of spring rainwater of Xi’an city, NW China. Atmos. Environ. 45, 5058–5063 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mello, W.Z.D.: Precipitation chemistry in the coast of the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Environ. Pollut. 114, 235–242 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Migliavacca, D., Teixeira, E.C., Wiegand, F., Machado, A., Sanchez, J.: Atmospheric precipitation and chemical composition of an urban site, Guaíba hydrographic basin, Brazil. Atmos. Environ. 39(10), 1829–1844 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mouli, P.C., Mohan, S.V., Reddy, S.J.: Rainwater chemistry at a regional representative urban site: influence of terrestrial sources on ionic composition. Atmos. Environ. 39(6), 999–1008 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niu, Y.W., He, L.Y., Hu, M.: Chemical characteristics of atmospheric precipitation in Shenzhen. Environ. Sci. 29(4), 1014–1019 (2008) (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Niu, Y.W., Gu, J.Q., Yu, X.M., Jiang, H.R.: Impact of organic acids on rainwater acidification in the background air of the Yangtze River Delta. China Environ. Sci. 30(2), 150–154 (2010) (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Okuda, T., Iwase, T., Ueda, H., Suda, Y., Tanaka, S., Dokiya, Y., Fushimi, K., Hosoe, M.: Long-term trend of chemical constituents in precipitation in Tokyo metropolitan area, Japan, from 1990 to 2002. Sci. Total Environ. 339(1), 127–141 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Overrein, L.N., Seip, H.M., Tollan, A.: Acid precipitation-effects on forest and fish. Final report of the SNSF-project 1972–1980. (1980).

  • Sequeira, Lai: Small-scale spatial variability in the representative ionic composition of rainwater within urban Hong Kong. Atmos. Environ. 32, 133–144 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • State Environmental Protection Administration of China. 2010 report on the state of Environment China, Beijing, China (2010).

  • Sun, X.H., Yuan, S.P.: The chemical compositions and variation trend of rainwater in three cities of central and western China. Ecol. Environ. 17(8), 572–575 (2008) (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Air Quality Criteria for Particulate Matter and Sulfur. EPA-600/882-029b, December 1982 (1982).

  • Wang, W.X.: Study on the origin of acid rain formation in China. China Environ. Sci. 14(5), 323–329 (1994) (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, H., Han, G.: Chemical composition of rainwater and anthropogenic influences in Chengdu, Southwest China. Atmos. Res. 99(2), 190–196 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, W., Wang, T.: On acid rain formation in China. Atmos. Environ. 30(23), 4091–4093 (1996)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, W.X., Xu, P.J.: Research progress in precipitation chemistry in China. Prog. Chem. 21(2), 266–281 (2009) (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu, Q., Han, G., Tao, F., Tang, Y.: Chemical composition of rainwater in a karstic agricultural area, Southwest China: the impact of urbanization. Atmos. Res. 111, 71–78 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xiao, H.Y., Liu, C.Q.: Chemical characteristics of water-soluble components in TSP over Guiyang, SW China, 2003. Atmos. Environ. 38(37), 6297–6306 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xiao, H.W., Xiao, H.Y., Wang, Y.L., Tang, C.G., Liu, X.Y.: Chemical characteristics of 9 d continuous precipitation in a typical polluted city: a case study of Guiyang, China. Environ. Sci. 31(4), 865–870 (2010a) (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Xiao, H.W., Xiao, H.Y., Tang, C.G., Liu, X.Y., Liu, C.Q., Ling, B.N.: Estimation of ammonia emission in Guiyang City. Earth Environ. 1, 21–25 (2010b) (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Xiao, H.W., Xiao, H.Y., Long, A., Wang, Y.L.: Who controls the monthly variations of NH4 + nitrogen isotope composition in precipitation? Atmos. Environ. 54, 201–206 (2012a)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xiao, H.W., Xiao, H.Y., Long, A.M., Wang, Y.L.: Sulfur isotopic geochemical characteristics in precipitation at Guiyang. Geochimica 40(6), 559–565 (2012b) (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Xiao, H.W., Xiao, H.Y., Long, A.M., Wang, Y.L.: Nitrogen isotopic composition and source of nitrate in precipitation at Guiyang. Acta Sci. Circumstantiae 32(4), 940–945 (2012c) (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu, G., Li, X.Q., Lv, Y.C., Chen, Y.J., Huang, D.K.: Seasonal variations of carboxylic acids and their contributions to the rainwater acidity: a case study of Guiyang and Shangzhong, China. Chin. Sci. Bull. 55(16), 1667–1673 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, F., Tan, J., Shi, Z.B., Cai, Y., He, K., Ma, Y., Duan, F., Okuda, T., Tanaka, S., Chen, G.: Five-year record of atmospheric precipitation chemistry in urban Beijing, China. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 12, 2025–2035 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu, S., Gao, C., Cheng, Z., Cheng, X., Cheng, S., Xiao, J., Ye, W.: An analysis of chemical composition of different rain types in Minnan Golden Triangle’region in the southeastern coast of China. Atmos. Res. 47, 245–269 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, M., Wang, S., Wu, F., Yuan, X., Zhang, Y.: Chemical compositions of wet precipitation and anthropogenic influences at a developing urban site in southeastern China. Atmos. Res. 84(4), 311–322 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, D.W., Xiong, J.L., Xu, Y., Chan, W.H.: Acid rain in southwestern China. Atmos. Environ. (1967) 22(2), 349–358 (1988)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study work was kindly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China through Grants 41203015(H.-W. Xiao), 41273027, 41173027 (H.-Y. Xiao) and 40721002 (C.-Q. Liu).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China

    Hong-Wei Xiao & Ai-Min Long

  2. State Key Laboratory of Environment Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Science, Guiyang, 550002, China

    Hua-Yun Xiao & Cong-Qiang Liu

  3. Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China

    Yan-Li Wang

Authors
  1. Hong-Wei Xiao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hua-Yun Xiao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ai-Min Long
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yan-Li Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Cong-Qiang Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Hong-Wei Xiao or Hua-Yun Xiao.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Xiao, HW., Xiao, HY., Long, AM. et al. Chemical composition and source apportionment of rainwater at Guiyang, SW China. J Atmos Chem 70, 269–281 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10874-013-9268-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10874-013-9268-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation