The composition of rainwater at two sites near townsville, Qld

Abstract

Rainwater samples collected over 2 years at two sites near Townsville have been analysed. The results differ from those obtained at other near-coastal sites in Australia in that the deposition of sodium and chloride was relatively low, the sodium : chloride ratio was below that of seawater, and the samples were enriched with sulphur and calcium relative to seawater. A feature of the rainwater composition is the marked seasonal variation in the concentration of all ions, much higher values being obtained in out-of-season rains than during the wet season, but the ionic ratios were not sensitive to the seasonal distribution of rainfall. A common source for the 'excess' ions present in the rainwater could not be established.