Abstract
One of the largest hyper-saline lakes in the world is Lake Urmia, which is in the northwest region of Iran. Lake Urmia has experienced extreme desiccation in recent years. This study was conducted to investigate possible impacts of aerosol emitted by Lake Urmia on rainwater properties. Rainwater samples were collected from September 2017 to September 2018 at 13 sites spanning different areas of the Lake Urmia basin. Samples were analysed for acidity/alkalinity (pH), electrical conductivity (EC), total suspended solids (TSS) and elemental composition (Na, Mg, K, Ca, Al, Fe, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, and Pb). The results reveal that rainwater around Lake Urmia is characterized by high concentrations of heavy metals and toxic elements (e.g., Fe, Al, Ni, Cu, Cr, Co, Ti), especially in the outer ring of the study region to the north. Chemical signatures of anthropogenic pollution were most evident at sites near populated and manufacturing centers. The average pH of rainwater was enhanced relative to other regions, with the lowest and highest values of the 13 sites being 7.7 and 8.6, respectively. Concentrations of marine elements (Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+) decreased with increasing distance from Lake Urmia, suggestive of possible impacts of the lakebed's emission on rain composition via likely below-cloud scavenging. The area impacted by the marine aerosol emitted by Lake Urmia has a diameter of 30 to 40 km surrounding the shoreline. The results reveal a stronger signature of crustal species in the north owing to desiccated lakebed hotspots located in the north.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 104762 |
| Journal | Atmospheric Research |
| Volume | 234 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 2020 |
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Keywords
- Aerosol
- Atmospheric particulates
- Chemical composition
- Lake Urmia
- Rainwater samples
- Wet depositions
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Atmospheric Science
Cite this
On the chemical nature of wet deposition over a major desiccated lake : Case study for Lake Urmia basin. / Ahmady-Birgani, Hesam; Ravan, Parisa; Schlosser, Joseph Simon; Cuevas-Robles, Alberto; AzadiAghdam, Mojtaba; Sorooshian, Armin.
In: Atmospheric Research, Vol. 234, 104762, 04.2020.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - On the chemical nature of wet deposition over a major desiccated lake
T2 - Case study for Lake Urmia basin
AU - Ahmady-Birgani, Hesam
AU - Ravan, Parisa
AU - Schlosser, Joseph Simon
AU - Cuevas-Robles, Alberto
AU - AzadiAghdam, Mojtaba
AU - Sorooshian, Armin
PY - 2020/4
Y1 - 2020/4
N2 - One of the largest hyper-saline lakes in the world is Lake Urmia, which is in the northwest region of Iran. Lake Urmia has experienced extreme desiccation in recent years. This study was conducted to investigate possible impacts of aerosol emitted by Lake Urmia on rainwater properties. Rainwater samples were collected from September 2017 to September 2018 at 13 sites spanning different areas of the Lake Urmia basin. Samples were analysed for acidity/alkalinity (pH), electrical conductivity (EC), total suspended solids (TSS) and elemental composition (Na, Mg, K, Ca, Al, Fe, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, and Pb). The results reveal that rainwater around Lake Urmia is characterized by high concentrations of heavy metals and toxic elements (e.g., Fe, Al, Ni, Cu, Cr, Co, Ti), especially in the outer ring of the study region to the north. Chemical signatures of anthropogenic pollution were most evident at sites near populated and manufacturing centers. The average pH of rainwater was enhanced relative to other regions, with the lowest and highest values of the 13 sites being 7.7 and 8.6, respectively. Concentrations of marine elements (Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+) decreased with increasing distance from Lake Urmia, suggestive of possible impacts of the lakebed's emission on rain composition via likely below-cloud scavenging. The area impacted by the marine aerosol emitted by Lake Urmia has a diameter of 30 to 40 km surrounding the shoreline. The results reveal a stronger signature of crustal species in the north owing to desiccated lakebed hotspots located in the north.
AB - One of the largest hyper-saline lakes in the world is Lake Urmia, which is in the northwest region of Iran. Lake Urmia has experienced extreme desiccation in recent years. This study was conducted to investigate possible impacts of aerosol emitted by Lake Urmia on rainwater properties. Rainwater samples were collected from September 2017 to September 2018 at 13 sites spanning different areas of the Lake Urmia basin. Samples were analysed for acidity/alkalinity (pH), electrical conductivity (EC), total suspended solids (TSS) and elemental composition (Na, Mg, K, Ca, Al, Fe, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, and Pb). The results reveal that rainwater around Lake Urmia is characterized by high concentrations of heavy metals and toxic elements (e.g., Fe, Al, Ni, Cu, Cr, Co, Ti), especially in the outer ring of the study region to the north. Chemical signatures of anthropogenic pollution were most evident at sites near populated and manufacturing centers. The average pH of rainwater was enhanced relative to other regions, with the lowest and highest values of the 13 sites being 7.7 and 8.6, respectively. Concentrations of marine elements (Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+) decreased with increasing distance from Lake Urmia, suggestive of possible impacts of the lakebed's emission on rain composition via likely below-cloud scavenging. The area impacted by the marine aerosol emitted by Lake Urmia has a diameter of 30 to 40 km surrounding the shoreline. The results reveal a stronger signature of crustal species in the north owing to desiccated lakebed hotspots located in the north.
KW - Aerosol
KW - Atmospheric particulates
KW - Chemical composition
KW - Lake Urmia
KW - Rainwater samples
KW - Wet depositions
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074798390&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85074798390&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.atmosres.2019.104762
DO - 10.1016/j.atmosres.2019.104762
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85074798390
VL - 234
JO - Atmospheric Research
JF - Atmospheric Research
SN - 0169-8095
M1 - 104762
ER -