TY - JOUR
T1 - On the chemical nature of precipitation in a populated Middle Eastern Region (Ahvaz, Iran) with diverse sources
AU - Naimabadi, Abolfazl
AU - Shirmardi, Mohammad
AU - Maleki, Heidar
AU - Teymouri, Pari
AU - Goudarzi, Gholamreza
AU - Shahsavani, Abbas
AU - Sorooshian, Armin
AU - Babaei, Ali Akbar
AU - Mehrabi, Nasim
AU - Baneshi, Mohammad Mehdi
AU - Zarei, Mohammad Reza
AU - Lababpour, Abdolmajid
AU - Ghozikali, Mohammad Ghanbari
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors are grateful to the Vice Chancellor for Research Development and Technology of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences for funding and providing necessary facilities to perform this research with project No ETRC-9311 .
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2018/11/15
Y1 - 2018/11/15
N2 - This study reports on the chemical composition of rainwater collected at three ground sites with varying degrees of pollution in Ahvaz, Iran, between January 2014 and February 2015. A total of 24 rainwater samples were analyzed for pH and concentrations of trace elements (Fe, Al, Pb, and Cd) and major ions (Na+, NH4 +, Ca2+, Mg2+, HCO3 −, NO3 –, Cl– and SO4 2−). Principle Component Analysis (PCA) was used to identify sources of the measured species. The equivalent concentration of the components followed the order of Ca2+ > SO4 2− > HCO3 − > NH4 + > Cl– > Na+ > NO3 − > Mg2+. The average pH of the rainwater samples was 6, and only three events exhibited acidic conditions below a pH of 5.6. The lowest and the highest average pH values were observed in the high traffic area (5.96) and industrial area (6.54), respectively. The highest and lowest Ca2+ levels were observed in the industrial and high traffic areas, respectively. Na+, Mg2+, and SO4 2− exhibited their highest and lowest concentrations in the industrial and high traffic areas, respectively. 70.36% of the total variance was due to anthropogenic species (Ca2+, SO4 2−, Mg2+, NO3 −, Cl−), soil particles (Cl−, Na+, and HCO3 −), and biomass burning (NH4 +, pH). The results of this study show that local anthropogenic sources and Middle Eastern Dust (MED) storms affect the rainwater chemistry strongly, which the latter stems from the Arabian Peninsula, Kuwait, Iraq, and some parts of Iran.
AB - This study reports on the chemical composition of rainwater collected at three ground sites with varying degrees of pollution in Ahvaz, Iran, between January 2014 and February 2015. A total of 24 rainwater samples were analyzed for pH and concentrations of trace elements (Fe, Al, Pb, and Cd) and major ions (Na+, NH4 +, Ca2+, Mg2+, HCO3 −, NO3 –, Cl– and SO4 2−). Principle Component Analysis (PCA) was used to identify sources of the measured species. The equivalent concentration of the components followed the order of Ca2+ > SO4 2− > HCO3 − > NH4 + > Cl– > Na+ > NO3 − > Mg2+. The average pH of the rainwater samples was 6, and only three events exhibited acidic conditions below a pH of 5.6. The lowest and the highest average pH values were observed in the high traffic area (5.96) and industrial area (6.54), respectively. The highest and lowest Ca2+ levels were observed in the industrial and high traffic areas, respectively. Na+, Mg2+, and SO4 2− exhibited their highest and lowest concentrations in the industrial and high traffic areas, respectively. 70.36% of the total variance was due to anthropogenic species (Ca2+, SO4 2−, Mg2+, NO3 −, Cl−), soil particles (Cl−, Na+, and HCO3 −), and biomass burning (NH4 +, pH). The results of this study show that local anthropogenic sources and Middle Eastern Dust (MED) storms affect the rainwater chemistry strongly, which the latter stems from the Arabian Peninsula, Kuwait, Iraq, and some parts of Iran.
KW - Ahvaz
KW - Chemical elements
KW - Factor analysis
KW - Rainwater chemistry
KW - Trace elements
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2018.07.103
DO - 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2018.07.103
M3 - Article
C2 - 30077153
AN - SCOPUS:85050814005
VL - 163
SP - 558
EP - 566
JO - Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
JF - Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
SN - 0147-6513
ER -