Chemical Composition of Precipitation in the Coastal Environment of India

The present study investigated the chemical composition of precipitation at Comba, Madgaon, South Goa during southwest monsoon. The rainwater samples were collected on event basis during June-September 2008 and were analyzed for pH, major anions F, Cl, NO₃, SO₄) and cations (Ca, Mg, Na, K, NH₄). The pH value varied from 5.36 to 6.91 (6.25 ± 0.28) indicating alkaline nature of rainwater and dominance of Cl and Na in precipitation. The Neutralization factors (NF) was found to be NFCa = 1.22, NFMg = 0.42, NFNH₄ = 0.37 and NFK = 0.14 indicating below cloud process in which crustal components are responsible for neutralization of anions.