Arid Zone Research ›› 2023, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (4): 552-562.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2023.04.04

• Weather and Climate • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Spatiotemporal variation characteristics of precipitation pH in Inner Mongolia from 1991 to 2021

HU Yanan1,2(),PEI Hao2,3(),JIANG Yanfeng2,4,MIAO Bailing2,4,JIA Chengzhen2,5   

  1. 1. Inner Mongolia Meteorological Service Center, Hohhot 010051, Inner Mongolia, China
    2. Inner Mongolia Desert Ecological Meteorological Center, Hohhot 010051, Inner Mongolia, China
    3. Inner Mongolia Meteorological Bureau, Hohhot 010051, Inner Mongolia, China
    4. Inner Mongolia Institute of Meteorological Sciences, Hohhot 010051, Inner Mongolia, China
    5. Inner Mongolia Ecological and Agricultural Meteorological Center, Hohhot 010051, Inner Mongolia, China
  • Received:2022-09-14 Revised:2022-11-22 Online:2023-04-15 Published:2023-04-28

Abstract:

This study was established to understand the evolution of precipitation pH in Inner Mongolia since the 1990s, using the observation data of acid rain stations in Inner Mongolia, as well as meteorological elements and atmospheric pollutant concentration data, along with statistical analysis of the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics and factors influencing precipitation pH, and the frequencies of acid rain and alkali rain. The threshold of alkali rain refers to acid rain, which is defined as precipitation with pH >8.4. The conclusions are as follows: (1) Owing to the soil pH in Inner Mongolia mostly being alkaline and there being a strong buffering effect of wind sand, the proportion of alkaline precipitation is higher than that of acidic precipitation in most of Inner Mongolia, while the proportion of acidic precipitation is higher in Manzhouli in the northeast. The occurrence of acid rain and alkali rain accounted for 1.1% and 3.6%, respectively, having a low probability of occurrence. (2) The spatial distribution of the pH of precipitation shows the following order: central > western > eastern. The average annual precipitation pH range of the Inner Mongolia acid rain stations in the studied 15 years was 6.2 (Manzhouli) to 7.2 (Xilinhot), reflecting that this is not a highly acid rain-affected region. In the last 5 years, the frequency of acid rain and alkali rain has decreased in most areas, but the frequency of acid rain in Urad Middle Banner and alkali rain in Alxa Left Banner has increased significantly. (3) Low pH of precipitation mostly occurs from June to September in the summer flood season, and high pH mostly occurs from April to May in spring and January to February in winter, being closely related to vegetation coverage, precipitation, wind speed and direction, dust, and cold waves, among other factors. In addition, owing to the release of acidic gases such as SO2 and NOx from coal burning for heating during cold periods, the pH of precipitation is also low in winter and spring in Hohhot, Tongliao, and other regions with relatively high concentrations of air pollutants.

Key words: precipitation pH value, acid rain, alkali rain, spatial-temporal variation characteristics, Inner Mongolia