Acidic and alkaline precipitation in the Cilician Basin, north-eastern Mediterranean Sea

Samples from precipitation events collected at Erdemli during February 1996-June 1997 were analyzed to determine their particulate aluminium content, in addition to pH and conductivity measurements. Backward air mass trajectories corresponding to the rainy days were analyzed to determine potential source regions of acidic and alkaline constituents transported to the Cilician Basin. Approximately 28% of the rain samples were found to be acidic and the trajectories associated with half of the acid precipitation events were from the Mediterranean Basin and the Balkan Peninsula, while the other half were from the Anatolian mainland and local sources. Rain samples were found to be alkaline (58%), with their trajectories originating from North Africa and the Middle East. As a result of its CaCO3 content, mineral dust from these arid regions significantly increased the pH of rainwater. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.