Chemistry of western Atlantic precipitation at the mid-Atlantic coast and on Bermuda

Journal Article · Mon Dec 20 00:00:00 EST 1982 · J. Geophys. Res.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JC087iC13p11013· OSTI ID:6851843

Church, T M ^[1]; Galloway, J N; Jickells, T D; Knap, A H

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1. Univ. of Delaware, Newark

The major ion composition of western Atlantic precipitation falling at the coast of eastern United States (Lewes, Delaware) and at the Sargasso Sea (Bermuda Island) has been measured by event year round (May 1980 to April 1981) to assess the influence of the ocean on precipitation from storms that leave the North American continent and transit over the western Atlantic. Particular attention is paid to the oceanic influence on the sulfur and nitrogen precursors of acid rains. While sea salt contributes over half (by weight) of the salt in precipitation at the coast and over three quarters at Bermuda, most of the sulfate (90% at the coast and 50% at Bermuda) is in excess to sea salt sodium. Since Bermuda precipitation is still acidified some factor of 8 relative to pure equilibrium with atmospheric carbon dioxide, this strong acidity has been attributed to the long-range transport sulfur and nitrogen precursors in the marine troposphere during which the sulfuric acid component dominates. A sulfur budget for the western Atlantic troposphere shows that of the total amount of sulfur exported from the North American continent (>3.9 TgS/yr) less than 3% (0.1 TgS/yr) is from natural sources, the rest being from anthropogenic emissions. If Bermuda precipitation is taken as typical of wet fallout of sulfur over the western Atlantic, then no more than half (<2 TgS/yr) of North American excess (nonsea salt) sulfur export falls out to the western Atlantic and at least half undergoes potential transoceanic transport as acid rain precursors to the east of Bermuda.

• OSTI ID: 6851843
• Journal Information: J. Geophys. Res.; (United States), Vol. 87:C13
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACID RAIN
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
NITROGEN
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
SULFUR
AIR POLLUTION
DELAWARE
SARGASSO SEA
SEAWATER
STORMS
TROPOSPHERE
ATLANTIC OCEAN
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CHEMISTRY
DISASTERS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELEMENTS
FEDERAL REGION III
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MASS TRANSFER
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
RAIN
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
USA
WATER
520200* - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring &amp; Transport- (-1989)