Wet deposition at the sub-20 km scale in a rural upland area of England

Abstract

A network of 10 bulk precipitation collectors was established in an upland region of northern England to examine the small-scale variability of precipitation composition in a rural area. Significant spatial variability was shown for non sea-salt sulphate, calcium and hydrogen ion concentrations. Although nitrate concentrations did not show significant variability, a coherent gradient across the study area was observed. The large variability of calcium ion concentration across the area was related to limestone quarrying, which is prevalent in the south of the study area. Calcareous wind-blown soil may have also made a minor contribution to the abundance of calcium in the rain-water samples. It is likely, however, that a large fraction of the calcium was dry deposited to the funnels of the collectors in the form of particles. The network was not designed to study orographic enhancement of deposition, but it is suggested that this mechanism, along with wind-drift of scavenged cap-cloud droplets, cannot explain the spatial variation in ion concentrations. It is speculated that the variability in non-sea-salt sulphate concentrations may also be partially explained by reaction of CaCO 3 particles deposited to the funnels of the collectors with SO 2. Critical load exceedances in terms of deposited acidity from non-sea-salt sulphate were calculated using different spatially resolved deposition data. A better estimate of deposition in the study area was achieved by combining rainfall concentration data from the national network with the 5 km rainfall field, than the current methodology used for mapping of U.K. deposition which utilises a 20 km rainfall field. However, 20 km is considered to be the minimum resolution at which a procedure for parameterising orographic enhancement can be incorporated. Deposition and critical load exceedances in 2005 were calculated using a long-range transport model and significant improvements in the protection of soils were predicted from the projected emissions reductions.