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| Ammonium Variational Trends and the Ammonia Neutralization Effect on Acid Rain over East Asia |
| GAO Chao,WANG Zi-Fa,Enagnon A. GBAGUIDI |
| State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry/Nansen-Zhu International Research Centre, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China,State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry/Nansen-Zhu International Research Centre, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China,State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry/Nansen-Zhu International Research Centre, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China |
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Abstract The distribution and variations of ammonium and the ammonia neutralization effect on acid rain were examined in East Asia during the period of 2000-05 using observed wet deposition data from the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET). Observational trends show a high proportion of NH4+ in the total cations, with a six-year mean proportion of over 20% for continental and inland regions. The concentrations and deposition of NH4+ were higher in western China and Vietnam than in other regions. The annual variations in NH4+ concentration were smooth in most of the regions, except for southern China and Vietnam, where the NH4+ concentrations increased, and western China, where the NH4+ concentrations decreased. The neutralization factors (NFs) of NH4+ indicate that ammonia has a great neutralization capability toward acid rain, including for the regions with low NH4+ concentrations, such as Japan. The NFs were high in summer, with no obvious discrepancies between the northern and southern stations. However, the correlation coefficients between NH4+ concentrations and rain pH values imply that the ammonia neutralization effects on the pH values were distinct only at southern China and southern Japan stations. The neutralization of precipitation by ammonia was estimated by comparing the discrepancies between the observed pH values and the pH values calculated without ammonia consuming the H+ in NH4+. The results demonstrate that ammonia may increase annual mean pH values by 0.4-0.7 in southern China and by 0.15-0.25 in southern Japan.
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Received: 18 January 2010
Revised: 27 February 2010
Accepted: 28 February 2010
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