Chemical Properties and Nutrient Loadings of Rainwater during Farming Season

Recently, special attention has been given to acid rain and its problem to environment such as acid precipitation and air pollution in East Asia. In the present study, rainwater samples were collected from Apr to Nov in 2012. The samples were chemically characterized for the assessment of emission sources. Suwon and Yeoju regions, typical agricultural areas in South Korea, were chosen for study sites. Ion composition and cation-affected neutralization were determined to evaluate the contribution of cations to the acidity of rainwater. Ion and electrical conductivity between the measured and the estimated showed high correlation. The cations observed in Suwon and Yeoju were $Na^+$ > $NH_4{^+}$ > $K^+$ > $Ca^{2+}$ > $Mg^{2+}$ > $H^+$ and $Na^+$ > $K^+$ > $NH_4{^+}$ > $Ca^{2+}$ > $Mg^{2+}=H^+$, respectively. The anions of all sites were $SO{_4}^{2-}$ > $NO_3{^-}$ > $Cl^-$. While the amounts of sulfate, one of the major dissolved components of rainwater, were 77.6 and 75.6 ueq $L^{-1}$ in Suwon and Yeoju, the ones of NSS-$SO{_4}^{2-}$ (Non-Sea Salt sulfate) were 83 and 82% in Suwon and Yeoju, respectively. The comparison of observed pH values ($pH_{obs}$) with the theoretical pH values ($pH_{the}$) showed that the neutralization of rain water considerably went along during the study periods. The highest amounts of rainfall throughout the year in Suwon and Yeoju were 572.3 and 484.6 mm in July, and its corresponding nitrogen loadings in Suwon and Yeoju were 5.28 and 3.50 kg $ha^{-1}$, respectively. The major ion contents for crop growth with $SO{_4}^{2-}$, $Ca^{2+}$, $K^+$ and $Mg^{2+}$ were 51.7, 5.2, 11.8 and 1.8 kg $ha^{-1}$ in Suwon and 34.2, 4.0, 4.2 and 1.1 kg $ha^{-1}$ in Yeoju.