TRENDS IN PARTICULATE DEPOSITION AND PRECIPITATION CHEMISTRY AT LEEDS (UK) 1907-1987

A review of the available data on the composition of precipitation and the deposition rates of various species has been carried out for the city of Leeds in Northern England covering the years 1907-1987. The information for three typical sites representing heavily industrialized, suburban and rural locations is compared. The exceptionally high deposition rates and large urban/rural differences of the early years have now disappeared. Perhaps surprisingly, the parameter which has changed least is the net acidity. The highly acidic deposits of sulphates and chlorides from coal combustion before 1930 were counterbalanced by correspondingly high deposition rates of ammonia and alkaline dusts. The only major parameter which shows a significant increase in nitrate. © 1989.