Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 2 July 1982:
Vol. 217. no. 4554, pp. 51 - 53
DOI: 10.1126/science.217.4554.51
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Articles

Primary Sulfates in Atmospheric Sulfates: Estimation by Oxygen Isotope Ratio Measurements

BEN D. HOLT 1, RBMESH KUMAR 1, and PAUL T. CUNNINGHAM 1

1 Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439

The relative amounts of primary and secondary sulfates in atmospheric aerosols and precipitation can be estimated from measurements of the stable oxygen isotope ratios. The oxygen-18 content of sulfates formed in power plant stack gases before emission into the atmosphere is significantly higher than that of sulfates formed from sulfur dioxide after emission. Results show that 20 to 30 percent of the sulfates in rain and snow at Argonne, Illinois, are of primary origin.

Submitted on December 3, 1981
Revised on March 4, 1982

To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)