The contribution of site to washout and rainout: Precipitation chemistry based on sample analysis from 0.5 mm precipitation increments and numerical simulation

Datasets of precipitation chemistry at a precipitation resolution of 0.5 mm from three sites were studied to determine whether the washout and rainout mechanisms differed with site type (urban, suburban, rural). Rainout accounted for approximately one-third of the total NO3− deposition and washout contributed two-thirds, irrespective of the site type, although the washout contribution at the urban site (over 70%) was larger than that at the other two sites. The rainout mechanism and the washout mechanism both accounted for about half the total SO42− deposition at the suburban and rural sites, whereas at the urban site the rainout contribution was over 80%. A chemical transport model produced similar levels of washout and rainout contributions as the precipitation chemistry data.