Atmospheric sulfur and nitrogen in West Java']Java

Wet-only rainwater composition on a weekly basis was determined at four sites in West Java, Indonesia, from June 1991 to June 1992. Three sites were near the extreme western end of Java, surrounding a coal-fired power station at Suralaya. The fourth site was similar to 100 km to the east in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. Over the 12 months study period wet deposition of sulfate at the three western sites varied between 32-46 meg m(-2) while nitrate varied between 10-14 meg m(-2). Wet deposition at the Jakarta site was systematically higher, at 56 meg m(-2) for sulfate and 20 meg m(-2) for nitrate. Since sulfate and nitrate wet deposition fluxes in the nearby and relatively unpopulated regions of tropical Australia are both only similar to 5 meg m(-2) anthropogenic emissions of S and N apparently cause significant atmospheric acidification in Java. It is possible that total acid deposition fluxes (of S and N) in parts of Java are comparable with those responsible for environmental degradation in acid-sensitive parts of Europe and North America.