Abstract
Pathways for the transfer of pollutants from the atmosphere to vegetation by gaseous absorption (dry deposition) and in rain (wet deposition) have been studied extensively. Here we quantify deposition by a third pathway, that which occurs when vegetation exposed in wind-driven cloud intercepts water drops which are not collected efficiently in standard rain gauges1. From measurements of the chemical content and rate of this ‘occult precipitation’2 at Great Dun Fell, Cumbria in the United Kingdom, we make preliminary estimates of the deposition of several elements. We tentatively conclude that the inclusion of the occult deposition pathway in assessing annual chemical deposition in areas prone to low cloud could increase wet deposition estimates by up to 20% from values recorded in conventional rainfall chemistry gauges alone.
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Dollard, G., Unsworth, M. & Harve, M. Pollutant transfer in upland regions by occult precipitation. Nature 302, 241–243 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/302241a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/302241a0
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