Mechanisms of dry deposition and its acidification under the natural environment were evaluated by the observing thin films exposed for a short duration to the atmosphere and by the measuring deposition amounts on four types of petri dishes. Petri dishes were dry, and contained water, aq. acid and alkaline solutions, respectively.
The former exposure tests using copper-coated glass plates and reagent-thin films were performed in the forest, where decay of the fir trees was observed. After exposures, thin films were analyzed to count qualiatively the corrosion caused by the deposition, chemical formulate and acidity of dry deposition components, using a photometer and a transmission electron microscope. The concentrations of gases and ionic components of aerosols at the mountain summit were found to be less than those at the foot of the mountain. However, observation of thin films clarified that the acidic nitric components were found to be mainly deposited at the high altitude of the forest. In contrast, the acidification by the nitric components was hardly observed on the foot of the forest. The acidic HNO
3 and NO
3- may be deposited at high elevation of the forest, however their acidity was substantially lower at the summit than that on the foot because of NH
3 present there.
The latter exposure tests using petri dishes were performed at the plain site. The measurements of the deposition amounts of dry components onto petri dishes and the concentrations of gaseous and particulate matters in the atmosphere revealed the following points.
Gaseous HNO
3, SO
2 and NH3 were depostied much more than particulate NO
3-, SO
42- and NH
4+ onto the wet-surfaces. In particular, SO2 was deposited on the wet-surface to acidify the surface. The deposition mechanisms of Mg
2+, Na
+, Ca
2+ components of coarse particles were suggested to be almost the same even if the surfaces have different properties.
In the natural environment, once the material surfaces were washed out by rain, remaining wet, SO
2 was dissolved on the wetted-surface and made it acidic. Alkaline components such as carbonates were also deposited onto the wetted-surface, gradually dissolved in water to neutralize the acidity. Such processes are considered to be repeated, according to the weather change.
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