Source and budget of sulfate in precipitation from central Alberta, Canada
Rain, hail, and snow samples collected in central Alberta have been analyzed for sulfate and chloride content using a conductometric titration method. The mean values of sulfate concentration in rain and hail collected in the region of sulfur extraction gas plants were 2.7 mg/l and 2.9 mg/l respectively.The mean value of the sulfate content of a large number of hail samples collected from one severe storm well removed from a major SO/sub 2/ source was only 0.6 mg/l. Several snow samples collected in Alberta and southern British Columbia had a mean sulfate content of less than 0.5 mg/l. These results are discussed in terms of the efficiency with which s02 is removed from the atmosphere by the different precipitation processes. The results strongly suggest that most of the sulfate found in central Alberta precipitation is of local industrial origin. By comparing the sulfate deposition in precipitation around one isolated gas plant with the known SO/sub 2/ emission rate, a local atmospheric sulfur budget is derived. This budget indicates that the summertime convective storms are a very efficient mechanism for removing the SO/sub 2/ from the atmosphere, with between 32 and 46% of the sulfur emitted as SO/sub 2/ arriving at the ground as sulfate sulfur within a radius of 25 miles of the source. In contrast snow is a very inefficient removal mechanism, since in winter less than 2% of the sulfur emission is deposited in the snowfall near the source.
- OSTI ID:
- 6967057
- Journal Information:
- J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc.; (United States) Vol. 23; ISSN JPCAA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACID RAIN
AIR POLLUTION
ALBERTA
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CANADA
CHALCOGENIDES
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
HAIL
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
MASS TRANSFER
NATURAL GAS PROCESSING PLANTS
NORTH AMERICA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
POLLUTION SOURCES
RAIN
SNOW
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
SULFUR OXIDES
TITRATION
WASTES