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The Distribution of Atmospheric Impurities in the Neighbourhood of an Industrial City

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

Charles Crowther  and
Dan W. Steuart
Charles Crowther
Affiliation:
(Department of Agriculture, The University, Leeds.)
Dan W. Steuart
Affiliation:
(Department of Agriculture, The University, Leeds.)
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Extract

The rain analyses summarised in this paper bring out very clearly the marked difference in the purity of the atmosphere between the industrial-rural area to the west and south and the purely agricultural area to the north and north-east of Leeds.

They show that the sulphur-content of the rain falling at a given station affords a fairly reliable diagnosis of the degree of pollution of the atmosphere by smoke, provided the observations be prolonged over several months. Further, evidence has been obtained in confirmation of that adduced by earlier observers, that the sulphur-content of the leaves of trees may afford useful assistance in the diagnosis of smoke-pollution. In preliminary tests the proportion of sulphur present in the leaf as sulphate gave a sharper grading of the pollution in different districts than the total sulphur.

The rain analyses show further that appreciable smoke-pollution still remains throughout the agricultural area at distances of seven miles from the city, the rate of improvement of the atmosphere on passing away from the city into the purely agricultural areas being appreciably slower in the direction of the prevailing winds than in other directions.

In a general way the analyses tend to show that the smoke, though in greater quantity, is in a higher state of oxidation in the dirtier or more industrial districts—due to more efficient combustion of the coal.

Throughout the industrial-rural area abundant evidence of damage to leaves was found, and there can be no doubt of the consequent check to growth.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 5 , Issue 4 , October 1913 , pp. 391 - 408
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1913

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References

page 391 note 1 Crowther, and Ruston, , This Journal, IV. pp. 25–55.Google Scholar

page 396 note 1 It is of interest to note that the proportion of impurities contained in the samples collected during the period of the great coal miners' strike (March, April, 1912) was decidedly below the normals for the periods immediately preceding and following it—especially in the industrial area. This can scarcely be regarded as a coincidence, and it is probable that in a year with normal output of smoke the yearly totals might be appreciably higher than we have found.

page 398 note 1 Cf. Crowther, and Buston, , This Journal, IV. 38Google Scholar; Cohen, and Ruston, , Journal Soc. Chem. Ind. xxx. (1911), 1360.Google Scholar

page 398 note 2 Crowther, and Ruston, , loc. cit. 34, 40.Google Scholar

page 399 note 1 Herbig, W., Zeits. angew. Chem. XXII. 1882.Google Scholar

page 402 note 1 For an exhaustive discussion of the most important work on the subject up to 1903 see Haselhoff, and Lindau, , “Die Beschädigung der Vegetation durch Bauch” (Gebr. Bornträger, Leipzig, 1903).Google Scholar

page 403 note 1 Cf. Haselhoff, and Lindau, , loc. cit. 106.Google Scholar

page 404 note 1 Haselhoff, and Lindau, , loc. cit. 57.Google Scholar

page 404 note 2 All on one geological formation, viz. the coal measures. The risk of complications arising from differences of soil was thereby probably reduced.