Red rains as major contributors of nutrients and alkalinity to terrestrial ecosystems at Montseny (NE Spain)

During two years (1983-1985), 8 red rains were collected in the Montseny mountains. The suspended matter contained in red rains has its source in the Sahara desert and corresponds to fine silts. Due to the calcite content of dust responsible for the red rains, these rains are alkaline with a volume weighted mean pH of 7.7 versus 4.7 of non-red rains. Estimated HCO; alkalinity input due to red rains is 0.21 keqlhalyr and total annual HCO; alkalinity input is 0.24 keqlhalyr. To that figure, one has to add at least 0.24 keqlhalyr due to the alkalinity of calcite contained in red dust. For the same period, hydrogen input in bulk deposition amounts to 0.19 keqlhalyr. These results indicate that acidity due to non-red rain espisodes is neutralized on an annual basis, with red rains being the major neutralizing agent. Ion concentrations in red rains are high, which makes them an important source of nutrients even though they only account for 5.4% of annual preci itation. Red rains are particularly enriched with ca2+ having a P+ volume-weighted mean Ca concentration 14 times higher than non-red rains and delivering 46% of the annual inputs of soluble ca2+ in bulk precipitation at Montseny.