Inter-storm comparisons from the OSCAR (Oxidation and Scavenging Characteristics of April Rains) high-density network experiment

The high-density network component of the Oxidation and Scavenging Characteristics of April Rains (OSCAR) experiment combined aircraft, surface, and sequential precipitation chemistry measurements to characterize the physicochemical and dynamic features of four storms sampled during an April 1981 field investigation. A surface network of 47 precipitation-sampling stations, covering a roughly square region 110 km on a side, was established in the area surrounding Fort Wayne, Indiana. The network provided temporal and spatial resolution of rainfall chemistry via the use of specially designed automatic sequential bulk-precipitation collectors, while aircraft and surface sampling provided measurements of the major aerosols and trace gases in the boundary-layer inflow region. Composite concentration and ion-ratio profiles for the events were analyzed to investigate potential pollutant-scavenging pathways.