•  
  •  
 

Document Type

Research

Keywords

Iowa, acid rainfall, pH values, National Weather Service

Abstract

From April through October 1980, a statewide screening for acid rainfall was conducted in Iowa. Ninety-seven National Weather Service observers were provided with pH color-indicating strips and measured and recorded the pH of every precipitation sample. Results of the screening indicate pH values of rainfall ranged from a low of 4.0 to a high of 7.0. The pH values 5.7 and 5.9 were observed most often and represented 66% of the 4,197 values measured. Approximately 80% of the rainfall pH values fell in the 5.7 to 7.0 range and 20% in the acid rainfall range (5.6 or less). Median pH values calculated for the 97 sampling locations ranged from 5.1 to 6.2, with medians of 5.7 and 5.9 occurring most frequently. With the exception of one 3-county area, most of the 11 sampling locations demonstrating acid rainfall (median values 5.6 or less) were widely separated and probably represented localized problems. Three adjacent counties located in southeast Iowa had low median pH values and this area is recommended for future study.

Publication Date

June 1983

Journal Title

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

Volume

90

Issue

2

First Page

41

Last Page

43

Copyright

©1983 Iowa Academy of Science, Inc.

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.