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Indications for changing deposition patterns in central Europe.
1Umweltbundesamt, Pilotstation, Frankfurter Str. 135, D-6050 Offenbach/Main, FRG.
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
|January 1, 1992
Summary
Air quality in Germany shows improvement, with reduced sulfur dioxide emissions leading to higher precipitation pH and lower overall sulfur deposition. This trend is most notable in western Germany due to decreased SO2 concentrations.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Atmospheric Chemistry
- Ecology
Background:
- The German Federal Environmental Agency (Umweltbundesamt) operates a network of air pollution monitoring stations.
- Precipitation samples have been collected and analyzed since 1982 at five rural stations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze trends in air pollution and precipitation chemistry in Germany.
- To investigate the impact of reduced sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions on environmental deposition.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of daily bulk precipitation samples from five rural monitoring stations.
- Comparison of chemical analysis data from 1982 to the period of 1988/1989.
- Estimation of dry and wet sulfur deposition fluxes.
Main Results:
- An increase in precipitation pH was observed, particularly at Deuselbach in western Germany, linked to decreased sulfate ions.
- Reduced SO2 emissions in Western Europe led to lower ambient air concentrations, mainly in western Germany.
- Estimated dry sulfur deposition decreased by 44-69%, while wet deposition varied (8% increase to 25% decrease).
- Total sulfur deposition showed a reduction ranging from 17-54%.
Conclusions:
- Reduced SO2 emissions have led to significant decreases in sulfur deposition across rural West Germany.
- Atmospheric deposition trends are influenced by emission reductions and meteorological factors like winter air flow.
- Further research could include measuring deposition via fog droplet interception.