Interlinkages Between Total Nitrogen and DOC Levels at an Urban Site of Saharsa District of Bihar (India)

Abstract

Nitrogen is an element essential for building fundamental blocks of life. When present in excess amount in air, it causes adverse effects for the environment and human health.Different air pollutants when scavenged through rains are deposited on the surface. The chemical composition of rain water is an indicator of the levels of different air pollutants in the region. The present study reports the concentrations of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) and the reactive nitrogen species (NO3- and NH4+) in rain water at an urban site located in the Saharsa district of Bihar. The sampling was carried out during July 2018 to October 2018.Total 18 samples were collected during this period. Results showed that the concentration of NO3- was considerably higher (2.91 mg/L)ranging from 0.26 to 11.84 mg/L than the NH4+(0.84 mg/L) ranging from 0.00 to 3.2 mg/L.The pH value in the samples ranged from 5.50 to 7.68 with a mean value of 6.52.The DOC in rain water has been estimated by using the Shimadzu TOC analyzer. Apart from DOC, total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN) & inorganic carbon (IC) have also been also analyzed by Shimadzu TOC analyzer. The results showed that both anthropogenic and natural sources contributed to the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in rain water. The linkages between the sources and the transformations of gaseous NH3 with DOC have been established considering the fact that most of TN is represented by NH3.Airmass back trajectory analysis showed that the site has trans-boundary source influence from Bay of Bengal and Bangladesh. The study suggests that there is need of continuous monitoring of these parameters in air in order to notice any impact on human health, soil and vegetation.