A WET-ONLY PRECIPITATION STUDY IN A MEDITERRANEAN SITE, PATRAS, GREECE

A wet-only precipitation study was conducted in Patras, Greece, from October 1985 to April 1986. Very high pH variations were recorded, ranging from pH 4. 12 to 8. 76, indicating high variability in the acid sources and in neutralization processes. Chemical analysis was performed for H** plus , SO//4**2** minus , NO//3** minus , Cl** minus , Ca**2** plus , Mg**2** plus and NH//4** plus ions to evaluate the contribution of each ion to the acidity and alkalinity of the precipitation. Air masses originating in northwestern Europe correlate very well with the acidic episodes, whereas those from northern Africa have precipitation with pH greater than 5.