Influence of rainfall duration and intensity on particulate matter removal from plant leaves

Rainfall influences removal of airborne particulate matter (PM) from leaf surfaces through a process called wash off resulting in throughfall that carries PM to the ground. The present study examined the effects of rainfall characteristics on PM wash-off mass and rate from the foliage of four broadleaf species, to investigate retention of PM pollution. In a controlled rainfall simulation experiment, rainfall intensity was set to 15, 30, and 50mmh^-1, and sampling intervals for the three rainfall intensities were divided into 10, 5, and 3min, respectively. Of the plants examined, the evergreen shrub Euonymus japonicus had the greatest surface PM accumulation before rainfall (165μgcm^-2), maximum wash-off during the first 2.5mm of rain (30μgcm^-2), and maximum surface PM retention after rainfall (24μgcm^-2). Fitting observations with the Box Lucas regression model, cumulative PM wash-off rates increased with cumulative rainfall amount, until the curves tended to become steady after rain exceeded 12.5mm. Wash off removed 51 to 70% of surface PM accumulation. As rainfall intensity increased, the duration of PM wash-off decreased, and wash-off rates were highest during the first rainfall interval. However, there was no significant difference between PM wash-off rates for rainfall intensities of 30 and 50mmh^-1 in each rainfall interval. In addition, rain did not remove all PM completely, and PM retention following rainfall differed with rainfall intensity, except for Populus tomentosa.