Air Quality
Southwest Alaska Network. 2020. Air Quality. Southwest Alaska Network
Atmospheric deposition is the process by which airborne pollutants reach the earth’s surface. This occurs either through wet deposition from rain, snow, sleet, and fog, or through dry deposition of particles during periods without precipitation. Deposition can include a wide variety of natural and synthetic pollutants, such as inorganic elements (e.g., sulfur, nitrogen, mercury) and both inorganic and organic compounds (e.g., sulfate, nitrate, pesticides). Once deposited, pollutants can have a range of ecological effects. Nitrogen and sulfur compounds, for example, can result in acidification of terrestrial and aquatic habitats; eutrophication of freshwater, estuarine, and marine waterways; and loss of biodiversity. Arctic and subarctic ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to impacts from the deposition of excess nitrogen and sulfur. Therefore, while the amounts of nitrogen and sulfur reaching high-latitude parklands may be small, they may have disproportionately large effects.
- Type
- Resource Brief
- Authors
- Southwest Alaska Network
- Date of Issue
- 2020-03
- Publisher
- Southwest Alaska Network
- Units
- KATM , SWAN
- Keywords
- air quality, nitrate, sulfate, wet deposition
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Air and Climate | Air Quality | Wet and Dry Deposition