Wet and dry deposition of particles associated metals (Cd, Pb, Zn, Ni, Hg) in a rural wetland site, Marais Vernier, France

Atmospheric transport plays an important role in the transfer of pollutants to ecosystems. During such transport, the atmospheric aerosol is one of the key factors in terms of deposition. Over 18 months, we studied the concentrations of Zn, Pb, Ni, Cd, Hg in air and precipitations in a wetland site in the north west of France. The objective of this study was to characterise the quantities transferred by dry and wet deposition. An eddy correlation technique was used to measure dry deposition velocities and determine the dry deposition fluxes from atmospheric concentration. In this site, wet deposition is almost always preponderant, except for Pb and Cd over several months. Measurements in the air and in rainwater are low and show that the site is protected from important anthropogenic influences, with levels that can be considered as background levels. In terms of deposition fluxes, the configuration of the site and the meteorological conditions (low wind speeds, low thermal fluxes) lead to low dry depositions. Wet depositions, although more important are also relatively low compared to the literature, directly linked to the pluviometry during the study period. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.