Determination of atmospheric pollutants in wet deposition

Abstract

Water is transferred from the atmosphere to the land surface mainly via various forms of atmospheric precipitation, but the contribution of surface condensation and direct deposition (e.g., dew, hoar frost, occult precipitation, etc.) should not be neglected. Wet deposition (including surface condensation and direct deposition) scavenges pollutants from the atmosphere and contributes significantly to their transport. The composition of the runoff formed on contact with various surfaces might be further modified by the components of dry deposition collected on these surfaces or by substances leaching from the surfaces themselves. Samples of wet precipitation or direct deposition might be good indicators of the state of the atmospheric environment and can be used to trace the migration of chemicals emitted from various sources, including anthropogenic ones. This paper discusses the unique challenges present at every stage of the analytical procedures used for the determination of the pollutants in atmospheric precipitation and deposition. A brief review of the results of pollutant and toxicity determination in samples of various forms of atmospheric precipitation and (or) deposition is also included, together with a discussion of the application of chemometric techniques for data interpretation. The aim of this paper is to help interested readers discover the field of pollutant determination in wet deposition and to broaden the scope of their existing research. © 2011 Published by NRC Research Press.