Wet and dry deposition fluxes of inorganic chemical species at a rural site in Northern Jordan

Wet and dry deposition samples were collected in a rural region in northern Jordan during the period of December 1998 to April 2000. Concentrations of 20 chemical species (Na, K, Ca, H+, Mg, NH4+, Cl-, NO3-, SO42-, Pb, Cd, Zn, Cu, Al, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Sb, and V) were determined in collected samples. Most of the Al, Fe, Mn, Mo, Sb, and V were not soluble, whereas major ions (Na, K, Ca, H+, Mg, NH4+, Cl-, NO3-, and SO42-) and some trace elements (Cd, Cu, and Zn) were wet deposited mostly in the soluble form. Concentration of the soil-related elements and/or highly soluble species were washed out at the early stages of a precipitation event, and their concentrations were mostly controlled by dilution, whereas concentrations of anthropogenic species were controlled by other factors. Annual fluxes of the soil-related elements and ions were significantly higher than the primarily anthropogenic elements. This was attributed to the arid nature of the region and to the frequent input of the Saharan dust pulses.