A Contrast in Winter Rainwater Composition: Maritime versus Continental Rain in Eastern North Carolina

Willey, Joan D.; Kiefer, Rudi H.

doi:10.1175/1520-0493(1990)118<0488:aciwrc>2.0.co;2

Cited by 13 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…In correlation analysis, p e 0.01 was defined as significant. Non-seasalt sulfate (NSS) concentrations were calculated using seawater chloride/ sulfate ratios assuming all chloride present was from seasalt, which is appropriate for rain in this coastal location (10).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrite Variability in Coastal North Carolina Rainwater and Its Impact on the Nitrogen Cycle in Rain

Kieber

Rhines

Willey

et al. 1998

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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The concentration range for nitrite (NO2 -) in 115 rain samples collected in Wilmington, NC, from June 1996 through February 1998 was 0.022−0.603 μM. Nitrite concentrations did not correlate with precipitation volume, suggesting a continuous supply of nitrite during rain events possibly by slow scavenging of gas-phase material such as HONO(g) or NO2(g) or in-cloud oxidation of other reduced forms of nitrogen. Nitrite levels exhibited no seasonal oscillations, which is in contrast to other rainwater parameters at this site such as pH, nitrate, non-seasalt sulfate (NSS) and ammonium. Concentrations of nitrite did not correlate with concentrations of pollutant indicators (pH, nitrate, and NSS). The concentration of nitrite in both winter El Nino rains and summer tropical rains was less than half its concentration in non-El Nino or non-tropical events, suggesting a possible terrestrial source of nitrite or nitrite precursor. Controlled laboratory studies demonstrated that hydrogen peroxide can oxidize nitrite in rainwater at environmentally relevant H+, H2O2, and NO2 - concentra tions. Nitrite oxidation by H2O2 in the aqueous phase has important ramifications with respect to N cycling and acid generation within the troposphere.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrite Variability in Coastal North Carolina Rainwater and Its Impact on the Nitrogen Cycle in Rain

Kieber

Rhines

Willey

et al. 1998

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…Sodium data was not available for nonhurricane rain samples in 2011 so NSS was determined assuming a constant ratio of SO 2− 4 to Cl − of 0.0517. Previous work at our coastal site has demonstrated using either Na + or Cl − as the proxy for sea salt yields results that are within 1 % of each other (Willey and Kiefer, 1990), less than the analytical precision of the method.…”

Section: Anions and Cationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of the chemical composition of rainwater throughout Hurricane Irene

et al. 2013

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Abstract. Sequential sampling of rainwater from Hurricane Irene was carried out in Wilmington, NC, USA on 26 and 27 August 2011. Eleven samples were analyzed for pH, major ions (Cl−, NO3−, SO42−, Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, NH4+), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Hurricane Irene contributed 16% of the total rainwater and 18% of the total chloride wet deposition received in Wilmington NC during all of 2011. This work highlights the main physical factors influencing the chemical composition of tropical storm rainwater: wind speed, wind direction, back trajectory and vertical mixing, time of day and total rain volume. Samples collected early in the storm, when winds blew out of the east, contained dissolved components indicative of marine sources (salts from sea spray and low DOC). The sea-salt components in the samples had two maxima in concentration during the storm the first of which occurred before the volume of rain had sufficiently washed out sea salt from the atmosphere and the second when back trajectories showed large volumes of marine surface air were lifted. As the storm progressed and winds shifted to a westerly direction, the chemical composition of the rainwater became characteristic of terrestrial storms (high DOC and NH4+ and low sea salt). This work demonstrates that tropical storms are not only responsible for significant wet deposition of marine components to land, but terrestrial components can also become entrained in rainwater, which can then be delivered to coastal waters via wet deposition. This study also underscores why analysis of one composite sample can lead to an incomplete interpretation of the factors that influence the chemically divergent analytes in rainwater during extreme weather events.

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“…On an event basis, 49% of the storms were continental and 12% coastal; on a precipitation basis, 37% of the rain in this study was continental and 44% was coastal. This simple classification scheme has the advantage that rainwater composition from several storms can be grouped for statistical analysis (Keane and Galloway, 1986;Cooper et al, 1987;Willey et al, 1988;Willey and Kiefer, 1990;Avery et al, 1991); each storm does not have to be treated as a unique event. Rain composition differences have been observed using this storm classification at this location (Willey et al, 1988;Willey and Kiefer, 1990), along with different patterns of correlation among the rainwater components (Willey and Kiefer, 1990;WiUey and Cahoon, 1991).…”

Section: Data Compilation and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nonseasalt sulfate (NSS) concentrations were calculated using seawater chloride/sulfate ratios assuming all chloride present in these rainwater samples was from seasalt, which is appropriate for rain in this coastal location (Willey and Kiefer, 1990). The resulting equation, using molar units, is: NSS = total sulfate -[C1-](0.052).…”

Section: Data Compilation and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Coastal rainwater hydrogen peroxide: Concentration and deposition

1996

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Correlation analysis between rainwater component concentrations (hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen ion, nitrate, nonseasalt sulfate and chloride ion) was used to investigate patterns of variation in hydrogen peroxide concentrations in rain collected in Wilmington, North Carolina, a coastal southeastern United States location, between October 1992, and October 1994. Rainwater hydrogen peroxide concentrations in general correlated positively with the pollutant components (hydrogen ion, nitrate and non-seasalt sulfate). This pattern suggests that destruction of hydrogen peroxide by sulfur dioxide is not the dominant factor controlling the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in this rainwater, with the possible exception of winter rain from coastal storms where an inverse correlation between hydrogen peroxide and nonseasalt sulfate was observed. Sequential sampling indicates rapid production of hydrogen peroxide and incorporation into rain within time periods of hours during summer daytime rains.Rain is an important transport mechanism for removal of atmospheric hydrogen peroxide, which may affect the oxidizing capacity of surface waters that receive the rain. During this study time, the annual deposition of hydrogen peroxide by rain was 12 mmole m -z yr -I. An average rain event added approximately half of the resident amount of hydrogen peroxide to the shallow lakes typical of eastern North Carolina; extreme rain events can triple the amount normally present. The episodic nature of rain contributes to the variability in hydrogen peroxide concentration in surface waters. Higher hydrogen peroxide concentrations and greater rainfall amounts cause wet deposition of hydrogen peroxide to be approximately seven times greater during the warm season than the cold season.

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A Contrast in Winter Rainwater Composition: Maritime versus Continental Rain in Eastern North Carolina

Cited by 13 publications

References 0 publications

Nitrite Variability in Coastal North Carolina Rainwater and Its Impact on the Nitrogen Cycle in Rain

Nitrite Variability in Coastal North Carolina Rainwater and Its Impact on the Nitrogen Cycle in Rain

Dynamics of the chemical composition of rainwater throughout Hurricane Irene

Coastal rainwater hydrogen peroxide: Concentration and deposition

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