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Rainfall, Stemflow, and Throughfall Chemistry at Urban- and Mountain-facing Sites at Mt. Gokurakuji, Hiroshima, Western Japan

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Abstract

Rainfall, stemflow, and throughfall were collected from 1996 to 1999 at two types of forest sites: (1) forests near the traffic roads and urban areas and (2) forests away from the urban areas at Mt. Gokurakuji, Hiroshima, western Japan in order to estimatethe effects of anthropogenic activities on atmospheric deposition. Rainfall deposition for major ions showed small differences between the sites. The NO3 - and SO4 2-concentrations in stemflow were higher at the urban-facing slope than at the mountain-facing slope. Throughfall deposition of NO3 - and SO4 2- was also higher at urban-facing slopes. Net throughfall (NTF) deposition (throughfall minus rainfall) of NO3 - and SO4 2- accounted for 77 and50% of the total throughfall deposition on urban-facing slopes, respectively, while it accounted for 44 and 23% on themountain-facing slopes, respectively. These results indicated a higher contribution from dry deposition on urban-facing slopes compared to mountain-facing slopes. Atmospheric N (NO3 - +NH4 +) deposition from throughfall was estimated to be around 17–26 kg N ha-1 yr-1 on urban-facing slopes, which was greater than the threshold of N deposition that could cause nitrogen leaching in Europe and the United States. The highload of atmospheric N deposition may be one of the factors bringing about the decline of pine forests on urban-facing slopesof Mt. Gokurakuji.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Biosphere Sciences, Hiroshima University, Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan

    Masaaki Chiwa, Do Hoon Kim & Hiroshi Sakugawa

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  1. Masaaki Chiwa
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  2. Do Hoon Kim
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  3. Hiroshi Sakugawa
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Chiwa, M., Kim, D.H. & Sakugawa, H. Rainfall, Stemflow, and Throughfall Chemistry at Urban- and Mountain-facing Sites at Mt. Gokurakuji, Hiroshima, Western Japan. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 146, 93–109 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023946603217

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