Acid deposition to nature areas in the Netherlands: Part I. Methods and results

Abstract

In this paper estimates of dry and wet deposition of acidifying substances in the Netherlands are presented. The deposition was estimated from measured concentrations in the atmosphere and in precipitation or if these were not available, from modelled concentrations. The method was applied for the Netherlands on a 5×5 km scale. The most important components are sulphur oxides and ammonia and their reaction products. It was estimated that the annual average deposition of SO _x in the Netherlands decreased from 1570 to 670 mol ha⁻¹ a⁻¹ between 1980 and 1989. In 1989, the annual average NO _y deposition was estimated to be 1220 mol ha⁻¹ a⁻¹ in 1980 and 1160 mol ha⁻¹ a⁻¹ in 1989. The annual average NH _x deposition in the Netherlands was estimated to be 2330 and 2190 mol ha⁻¹ a⁻¹ in 1980 and 1989 respectively. HCI deposition was about 100 mol ha⁻¹ a⁻¹ in all years. Dry deposition contributes most to the total deposition for each component. The spatial distribution of the total deposition shows a gradient over the Netherlands with highest values in the South and lowest in the North of the country. Meteorological conditions are also of influence on the deposition fluxes for all components. During 1988 and 1989 meteorological conditions favoured low deposition. The estimated uncertainty in the average fluxes of SO _x , NO _y , and NH _x for the Netherlands is 15, 25, and 30% respectively. The wet deposition fluxes can be estimated more accurately than the dry deposition.