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Water Air Soil Pollut (2010) 205:7991 DOI 10.1007/s11270-009-0057-1
Anthropogenic Influences on Annual Flux of Cationsand Anions at Meio Stream Basin, So Paulo State, Brazil
F. T. Conceio & D. S. Sardinha & A. D. G. Souza &
G. R. B. Navarro
Received: 30 December 2008 /Accepted: 16 March 2009 /Published online: 3 April 2009 # Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2009
Abstract The chemical dynamics at Meio Stream Basin, So Paulo State, Brazil were evaluated using major elements as natural tracers. The surface water samples from Meio Stream were collected near the mouth of Meio Stream at the confluence with the Mogi-Guau River on February 25, 2005, April 20, 2005, and July 8, 2005. Rainwater samples were collected (using a bulk collector) for 1 year at one sampling point located about 4 km from downtown Leme city and other possible sources of contamination. The analyses were performed by pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, total solids, sulfate, nitrate, phosphate, alkalinity, chloride, sodium, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. This basin has
serious environmental problems in terms of rain-water and surface water quality, which result in the negative annual flux of cations and anions at Meio Stream Basin, with the exception of chlorine. The Meio Stream, downstream from Leme city, receives several elements/compounds through anthropogenic activities, mainly related to the discharge of domestic effluents. Anthropogenic inputs (mining, fossil fuel burning, and agricultural activities) are responsible for the higher concentrations of cations and anions in the rainwater from this basin.
Keywords Chemical dynamics . Major ions . Watershed . Anthropogenic influences
1 Introduction
The ocean is a major source of aerosols and gases for the overlying atmospheric boundary layer (Keene et al. 1986), which are removed from the atmosphere by rainout (condensation processes within clouds) or washout (impaction with falling raindrops below clouds) (Berner and Berner 1996). The dissolved components in rainwater can be divided into three groups: (a) those derived from sea salt aerosols; (b) those derived from terrestrial aerosols (soil dust and biological emission); and (c) those derived from anthropogenic sources (industry, agriculture, burning of vegetation, and fossil fuels and fertilizers) (Ngrel and Roy 1998).
F. T. Conceio (*) : G. R. B. Navarro Department of Environmental Engineering, UNESP, Av. Trs de Maro, 511, Alto da...