Investigation of 8-year-long composition record in the Eastern Mediterranean precipitation


Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Mühendislik Fakültesi, Çevre Mühendisliği Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2006

Öğrenci: ÖZLEM IŞIKDEMİR

Danışman: SÜLEYMAN GÜRDAL TUNCEL

Özet:

Measurement of chemical composition of precipitation is important both to understand acidification of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and neutralization process in the atmosphere. Such data are scarce in the Mediterranean region. In this study, chemical composition of daily, wet-only, 387 number of rain water samples collected between 1991 and 1999 were investigated to determine levels, temporal variation and long-term trends in concentrations of major ions and trace elements between 1991 and 1999. Samples had already been collected and some of the analysis had been completed. The anions SO42-, NO3- and Cl- were analyzed by HPLC coupled with UV-VIS detector, NH4+ was analyzed by colorimetry and H+ ion was analyzed by pH meter. The major ions and trace metals were analyzed by using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) and Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (GFAAS). In this study complete data set were generated by analyzing samples that had not been previously analyzed for major ions and trace elements with Inductively Coupled Plasma with Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). Statistical tools were used to determine the distribution of the pollutants. The rain water data tends to be log-normally distributed since data show large variations due to meteorological conditions, physical and chemical transformations and air mass transport patterns. The median pH of the rain water was found to be 5.29, which indicates that the rain water is not strongly acidic. This case is not a result of lacking of acidic compounds but rather indicates extended neutralization process in rain water. Eastern Mediterranean atmosphere is under the influence of three general source types: (1) anthropogenic sources, which are located to the north and northwest of the basin brings low pH values to the region (SO42-, NO3- ions); (2) a strong crustal source, which is dried and