Steep declines in atmospheric base cations in regions of Europe and North America

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Abstract

We report evidence for steep declines in the atmospheric concentrations of base cations (sum of non-sea-salt Ca2+, Mg2+, K+ and Na+) over the past 10 to 26 years from high-quality precipitation chemistry records in Europe and North America. To varying but generally significant degrees, these base-cation trends have offset recent reductions in sulphate deposition in the regions examined. The observed trends seem to be ecologically important on decadal timescales, and support earlier contentions that declines in the deposition of base cations may have contributed to increased sensitivity of poorly buffered ecosystems. -from Authors

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)354-357
Number of pages4
JournalNature
Volume367
Issue number6461
DOIs
StatePublished - 1994
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General

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