The Precipitation Chemistry over Central Bohemia: Attempt to Estimate the Sources and Pathways

An attempt to indicate the sources and pathways of selected chemical substances in precipitation over central Bohemia was accomplished with help of bulk samples, collected in a forested rural landscape approx. 30 km SE from Prague, capital of the Czech Republic. Samples have been collected monthly throughout the 1990s. They were analyzed to determine the concentration of selected major cations and anions (Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, NH₄⁺, SO₄^2-, NO₃^-, Cl^-), as well as several minor and trace elements (Al, As, Be, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Sr, Zn, F^-).Set of the bulk samples shows strong mutual correlation of the main acidifiers - compounds of N, S (and F). Good correlation occurs also at the typical lithogenic elements Al, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Sr, and the typical elements originating from the flue gases of the combustion chambers burning low quality brown coal - As, (Be), Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn. The only strong correlation of Cl with Na (and Mg) indicates that majority of these elements originates from the oceanic spray. The content of pollutants in precipitation depends on the air masses types and on the rout of their approach to the sampling site. The typing of synoptic situations was employed for the determination of the air masses types and routs and of the corresponding fronts and precipitation fields.