Chemical composition of precipitation and its sources in Hangzhou, China

To understand the origin and chemical characteristics of precipitation in Hangzhou, rainwater samples were collected from June 2006 to May 2008. All samples were analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity, and major ions (NH(4)(+), Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Na(+), K(+), SO(4)(2-), NO(3)(-), F(-), and Cl(-)). Acidification of precipitation in Hangzhou was serious with volume-weighted mean pH value of 4.5, while frequency of acid rain was 95%. The calculated SO(4)(2-)/NO(3)(-) ratio in Hangzhou precipitation was 2.87, which indicated that the precipitation of Hangzhou belonged to sulfate-based acid rain. The results of acid neutralization analysis showed that not all the acidity in the precipitation of Hangzhou was neutralized by alkaline constituents. The results of sea salt contribution analysis showed that nearly all SO(4)(2-), Ca(2+), and Mg(2+) and 33.7% of K(+) were of non-sea origins, while all Na(+) and Cl(-) and 66.3% of K(+) originated from sea sources. The principal component analysis which was used to analyze the sources of various ions indicated that chemical compositions of precipitation in Hangzhou mainly came from terrestrial sources, factory emissions, fuel wood burning, and marine sources.