Characterization of a rural area in terms of dry and wet deposition.

Atmospheric gaseous pollutants (NO2, SO2, NH3, HNO3) and related ionic species in water-soluble fine particulates and rainwater were monitored from September 1986 to January 1987 with the aim of estimating the acid deposition over a rural area near Rome. A wet-only rain collector and an annular denuder-filter pack sampling system for gases and aerosols were employed to avoid chemical artifact formation. A comparison of the wet and dry deposition rates indicates that atmospheric removal by precipitation was the dominant sink for sulfate and nitrate at the sampling site. Ion balance analysis showed that the main compounds present in aerosols were (NH4)2SO4 and NH4NO3, since the ammonium neutralization factor approached 100% and the acidity content was very low. The marked enrichment of H+, SO4(2-) and NO3- in precipitation compared with NH4+ could be explained by assuming either that SO2 and NO2 are oxidized in cloud droplets or that acidic sulfate and nitrate are scavenged directly in-cloud or below-cloud.