Measurements of major ion concentration in settled coarse particles and aerosols at a semiarid rural site in India

Abstract

Deposition rates and deposition velocities of water-soluble ions (F, Cl, NO 3, SO 4, NH 4, Ca, Mg, Na and K) were measured at a rural site (Gopalpura, Agra). Dry deposition samples were collected throughout the year from December 1995 to August 1997, while the aerosol samples were collected only during the winter season of 1996. Surrogate technique was used to collect the dry deposition samples, while aerosol samples were collected on PTFE membrane filter. Deposition velocities ( V d) of SO 4 and NO 3 are ≤0.01 m s −1, while Ca, Mg, Na, K, NH 4, F and Cl exhibit greater than 0.01 m s −1. Equivalent concentration ratios of K/Na, Ca/Na and Mg/Na conform with the corresponding ratios of local soil, indicating the dominant contribution of local sources. Deposition rates are maximum in winter, followed by summer and monsoon. No significant differences are found in dry deposition rates of all ions or in atmospheric concentrations of soil-derived elements with respect to wind direction. However, in aerosols, concentrations of F, Cl, NO 3 and SO 4 are higher with winds from southwesterly and westerly directions corresponding to pollution sources located in these directions. Deposition data have been used to calculate the critical load of S and N for soil with respect to Triticum vulgaris. The critical load of actual acidity was found to be 622.4 eq ha −1 year −1 within the range of 500–1000 eq ha −1 year −1 as assessed by the RAINS-Asia model for this region. The present load of S and N (77.4 and 86.4 eq ha −1 year −1) was much lower than the critical load of S and N (622.4 and 2000 eq ha −1 year −1), indicating that at present there is no harmful effect on ecosystem structure and function.