Changes of cloud water chemical composition in the Western Sudety Mountains, Poland

The changing chemical composition of cloud water and precipitation in the Western Sudety Mountains are discussed against the background of air-pollution changes in the Black Triangle since the 1980s until September 2004. A marked reduction of sulphur dioxide emissions between the early 1990's and the present (from almost 2 million tons to around 0.2 million tons) has been observed, with a substantial decline of sulphate and hydrogen concentration in cloud water (SO42− from more than 200 to around 70 μmol l− 1; H+ from 150 to 50 μmol l− 1) and precipitation (SO42− from around 80 to 20–30 μmol l− 1; H+ from around 60 to 10–15 μmol l− 1) samples. At some sites, where fog/cloud becomes the major source of pollutants, deposition hot spots are still observed where, for example, nitrogen deposition can exceed 20 times the relevant critical load. The results show that monitoring of cloud water chemistry can be a sensitive indicator of pollutant emissions.