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Journal of Arid Land  2017, Vol. 9 Issue (6): 911-923    DOI: 10.1007/s40333-017-0069-4
Orginal Article     
Chemical characteristics of precipitation and the indicative significance for sand dust events in the northern and southern slopes of Wushaoling Mountain, northwestern China
Zongjie LI1,*(), Fei LIU1, Yong SONG2, Lingling SONG3, Qing TIAN3, Bing JIA4, Yongge LI4, Jinzhu MA1
1 Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
2 CSIRO Land and Water, Private Bag 10, Clayton South, VIC 3169, Australia
3 College of Forestry, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
4 Key Laboratory of Ecohydrology of Inland River Basin Gansu/Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering Research Center, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
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Abstract  

Precipitation chemistry analysis is essential to evaluate the atmospheric environmental quality and identify the sources of atmospheric pollutants. In this study, we collected a total of 480 precipitation samples at 6 sampling sites in the northern and southern slopes of Wushaoling Mountain from May 2013 to July 2014 to analyze the chemical characteristics of precipitation and to identify the main sources of ions in precipitation. Furthermore, we also explored the indicative significance for sand dust events in the northern and southern slopes of Wushaoling Mountain based on the precipitation chemistry analysis. During the sampling period (from May 2013 to July 2014), the pH values, EC (electrical conductivity) values and concentrations of cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+ and NH4+) and anions (SO42-, NO3-, Cl-, NO2- and F-) in precipitation were different in the northern and southern slopes at daily and seasonal time scales, with most of the values being higher in the northern slope than in the southern slope. The chemical type of precipitation in the southern and northern slopes was the same, i.e., SO42--Ca2+-NO3--Na+. The concentrations of ions in precipitation were mainly controlled by terrigenous material and anthropogenic activities (with an exception of Cl-). The concentration of Cl- in precipitation was mainly controlled by the sea salt fraction. The concentrations of Na+ and Cl- showed an increasing trend after the occurrence of sand dust events both in the northern and southern slopes. In addition, after the occurrence of sand dust events, the concentrations of K+, Mg2+, SO42-, NO3- and Ca2+ showed an increasing trend in the southern slope and a decreasing trend in the northern slope. It is our hope that the results may be helpful to further understand the atmospheric pollution caused by sand dust events in the Wushaoling Mountain and can also provide a scientific basis for the effective prevention of atmospheric pollution.



Key wordsprecipitation chemistry      source assessment      sand dust event      Wushaoling Mountain     
Received: 13 October 2016      Published: 20 December 2017
Corresponding Authors:
Cite this article:

Zongjie LI, Fei LIU, Yong SONG, Lingling SONG, Qing TIAN, Bing JIA, Yongge LI, Jinzhu MA. Chemical characteristics of precipitation and the indicative significance for sand dust events in the northern and southern slopes of Wushaoling Mountain, northwestern China. Journal of Arid Land, 2017, 9(6): 911-923.

URL:

http://jal.xjegi.com/10.1007/s40333-017-0069-4     OR     http://jal.xjegi.com/Y2017/V9/I6/911

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