Characteristics Of Inorganic Ions Research Articles

Chemical characteristics and influencing factors of snow in eastern Qilian Mountains, China

As an important indicator of environmental and climate changes, snow chemical properties can be used to reflect microcosmic changes, large-scale environmental and climate changes. 174 groups of snow samples were collected from four different rivers, Jinta river, Sishui river, Binggou river, and Nancha river, in the eastern Qilian Mountains in west China from May 2014 to October 2017. The characteristics of inorganic ions, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl−, NO3−, HCO3-, and SO2−, in the samples were analyzed by Dionex-600 and Dionex-3000 ion chromatograph. The results show that Ca2+ is the main cation, while HCO3- is the main anion; the ion concentration of snow is higher than that of rain. After careful analysis, we draw the conclusion that due to the controlling of the westerly wind, the atmosphere of the Qilian Mountains is dry with high dust content in winter and spring, which makes the ions in the snow mainly derive from the weathering of carbonate rock and sulfate rock. The ions in snow cover mainly come from land-sourced dust, while less contribution is from marine sources and human activities.

Characteristics of inorganic ions in precipitation at different altitudes in the Yulong Snow Mountain, China

The present study investigated the chemical composition of summer precipitation at different altitudes in Yulong Snow Mountain, hoping to obtain some basic information about the chemical characteristics of precipitation. A couple of precipitation samples at different altitudes in the Yulong Snow Mountain area in southeastern China were collected from July 26 to July 31, 2005 for chemical analyses. Sea-salt tracer analysis showed that Cl- and Na+ had high proportion from marine sources, while the other ions mainly were from non-marine sources. Statistics showed that the cation concentrations ranged from 0.51 to 5.26 mg L-1 and anion concentrations ranged from 0.99 to 4.90 mg L-1. Further analysis showed that terrestrial ions, especially from the proximal terrestrial sources, largely affected the ion concentrations in precipitation. Ion concentrations of precipitation were correlated significantly with local atmospheric circulation at altitude 2,950-4,800 m, and also correlated closely with human activities at altitude 2,400-2,950 m. Limestone, the majority of local rocks, caused high cation concentrations in precipitation, such as Ca2+ and Mg2+. The majority of vapors in the region came from the Indian Ocean whereas parts came from the eastern Pacific. The inorganic ions in precipitation increased significantly in the Yulong Snow Mountain area during this century. Compared with most of the high altitude Mountains in China, the precipitations in the Yulong Snow Mountain area had higher concentrations of inorganic ions and low acidic ion concentrations. The conclusions can provide a basis for study of regional climate characteristics, environment and ecological characteristics of Yulong Snow Mountain area.

Occurrence and characteristics of inorganic ions and microorganisms in potable water from Jamaica

Water samples were collected from seven areas across Jamaica and they were analyzed for inorganic ions using the Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption (GF-AA) analytical technique. The samples were tested for the presence of ions and microbes followed by gel electrophoresis. Iron and phosphate concentrations were higher in urban areas. Increased concentration of these inorganic ions has been linked to hemachromatosis, hypertension, tachycardia and central nervous system defects. The alkaline values in the pH may favor the growth of gram negative organisms. An increase in total chlorine concentration in Mandeville has implications for the incidence of diseases of the cardiovascular system. The values of the Lead and Cadmium that were detected in St. Thomas and St. Elizabeth exceeded acceptable concentrations. Copper concentration was highest in the urban areas. Five gram negative pathogens were identified which caused urinary tract infections and gastrointestinal diseases. EcoRI and HindIII digests showed varying banding patterns with a common band of 2,060 bps. The results of the study indicate that the potable water samples taken from selected urban and rural areas were contaminated with chemicals and microbes which are known to have a significant impact on the occurrence of various diseases in the population. Effective water treatment methods should be implemented in order to reduce this health risk to the population. Further studies should be done to determine the origin of the contamination and the types of groups at risk.