CHEMISTRY OF BULK PRECIPITATION IN THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN PYRENEES, NORTHEAST SPAIN

Bulk precipitation samples from four locations in the Pyrenees were analysed for major ions and nutrients. The chemical composition of precipitation was related to the origin of storms. Rains coming from the Mediterranean Sea (south-southeast) were alkaline, while those from the Atlantic (northwest) were more acidic. The situation and particular orography of each sampling point determine the amount of precipitation received from each direction and, therefore, the chemical features of rain at each location. We detected differences in the acid loading among the four sampling sites. Bulk precipitation in the Pyrenees is more alkaline than precipitation in central Europe (Alps), owing to the higher Ca2+ concentrations and the lower acid pollutant levels (SO42- and NO3-) found in the Pyrenees.