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1601974 
Journal Article 
Chemical composition of wet deposition in a Mediterranean site Athens, Greece related to the origin of air masses 
Nastos, PT; Alexakis, D; Kanellopoulou, HA; Kelepertsis, AE 
2007 
Yes 
Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry
ISSN: 0167-7764
EISSN: 1573-0662 
58 
2 
167-179 
WOS:000250237500005 
The goal of this study is to determine the chemical
composition of rain, in the wider region of Athens, Greece for the time period 1st September 2001
to 31st August 2002. Two model automatic rain samplers were installed in the Meteorological
Station of Laboratory of Climatology (latitude: 37 degrees 58' N, longitude: 23 degrees 47' E)
inside the Athens University Campus and in a site at Heraklio Attica, a northern suburb of Athens
( latitude: 38 degrees 03' N, longitude: 23 degrees 45' E). The concentrations ( mu eq l(-1))
of the major cations (H+, Na+, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+) and anions (Cl-, NO3-, HCO3- kappa alpha L SO2-
(4)), as well as pH and conductivity of rain in 39 total samples were determined. The figures of
pH range from 6.4 to 8.4 and conductivity from 8 to 207 mu S cm(-1). The analysis showed that
Ca2+ ions are abundant within all examined samples, while HCO3- and SO42- present the highest
concentrations from the anions. In order to find out the origin of the air masses, the air mass
back trajectories were calculated. Five sectors of the origin of air masses were revealed: the
North, the South, the Local, the West and the East sector. Multivariate methods included Factor
Analysis and Discriminant Analysis were applied to the examined ion concentrations and three main
factors were extracted, which discriminated the ions according to their origin. The first group
of ions is interpreted as the result of the anthropogenic activity, the second group represents
the acidity - alkalinity independently of their source and the third one the marine influence. 
air mass back trajectories; discriminant analysis; factor analysis; major anions; major cations; wet deposition