The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the scavenging of atmospheric organic contaminants from precipitation, specifically snow and rain. The paper also determined and quantified, from scavenging, the amount of polychlorinated biphenyls and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons present in snow and rain. Snow scavenging of organic contaminants was being studied because little is known about this phenomenon and a large amount of precipitation, which occurs in North America, occurs in the form of snow. By studying the various precipitation the researchers were able to observe snow scavenging, the gas scavenging abilities of rain and the particle scavenging abilities of both rain and snow.
Snow Scavenging of Atmospheric Organic Contaminants (2012, April 01). Retrieved May 24, 2012, from http://www.academon.com/Essay-Snow-Scavenging-of-Atmospheric-Organic-Contaminants/1950