Effects of geographical location and land use on atmospheric deposition of nitrogen in the State of Connecticut

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 124; no. 3; pp. 437 - 448
• Main Authors: Luo, Yuzhou, Yang, Xiusheng, Carley, Robert J., Perkins, Christopher
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2003; Elsevier
• Subjects: Agriculture; Air Pollutants - analysis; Applied sciences; Atmospheric concentration; Atmospheric pollution; Cities; Connecticut; Deposition; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Exact sciences and technology; Geography; Industry; Land use; Long Island Sound; Nitrogen; Nitrogen - analysis; Pollutants physicochemistry study: properties, effects, reactions, transport and distribution; Pollution; United States; North America; America; Connecticut; USA, New York; USA, Connecticut; ANW, USA, Long Island Sound; ANW, USA, Connecticut; ANW, USA, New Jersey; Long Island Sound; Atmospheric concentration; Nitrogen; Deposition; Land use; Connecticut; Littoral zone; Ammonium; Atmospheric fallout; Troposphere; Nitrates; Urban area; Spatial variation; Nitric acid; Concentration measurement; Flux density; Medium effect; Rural area; Air pollution; Nitrogen Organic compounds; Concentration distribution
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/S0269-7491(03)00043-5

High ambient concentrations of tropospheric nitrogen and dry deposition flux were found in urban areas. A network of eight monitoring stations was established to study the atmospheric nitrogen concentration and deposition in the State of Connecticut. The stations were classified into urban, rural, coastal and inland categories to represent the geographical location and land use characteristics surrounding the monitoring sites. Nitrogen species including nitrate, ammonium, nitric acid vapor and organic nitrogen in the air and precipitation were collected, analyzed and used to infer nitrogen concentrations and dry and wet deposition flux densities for the sampling period from 1997 through 1999, with independently collected meteorological data. Statistical analyses were conducted to evaluate the spatial variations of atmospheric concentration and deposition fluxes of total nitrogen in Connecticut. A slightly higher atmospheric concentration of total nitrogen was observed along the Connecticut coastline of Long Island Sound compared to inland areas, while the differences of nitrogen deposition fluxes were insignificant between coastal and inland sites. The land use characteristics surrounding the monitoring sites had profound effects on the atmospheric nitrogen concentration and dry deposition flux. The ambient nitrogen concentration over the four urban sites was averaged 38.9% higher than that over the rural sites, resulting a 58.0% higher dry deposition flux in these sites compared to their rural counterparts. The local industrial activities and traffic emissions of nitrogen at urban areas had significant effects on the spatial distribution of atmospheric nitrogen concentration and dry deposition flux in the State. Wet and total deposition fluxes appeared to be invariant between the monitoring sites, except for high flux densities measured at Old Greenwich, a monitoring station near to and downwind of the New York and New Jersey industrial complexes.