In order to better understand air pollution in deve-loping regions, such as China, it is important to investigate the wet deposition behavior of atmospheric trace metals and its sources in the subtropical watershed. This paper studies the seasonal change of trace metal concentrations in precipitation and other potential sources in a typical subtropical watershed (Jiazhuhe watershed) located in the downstream of the Yangtze River of China. The results show that typical crustal elements (Al, Fe) and trace element (Zn) have high seasonal variation patterns and these elements have higher contents in precipitation as compared to other metals in Jiazhuhe watershed. In addition, there is no observed Pb in base flow in this study, and the concentration magnitudes of Al, Ba, Fe, Mn, Sr, and Zn in base flow are significantly higher than that of other metals. During different rainfall events, the dynamic export processes are also different for trace metals. The various trace metals dynamic export processes lead to an inconsistent mass first flush and a significant accumulative variance throughout the rainfall events. It is found that in this region, most of the trace metals in precipitation are from anthropogenic emission and marine aerosols brought by typhoon and monsoon.
Keywords: Air mass; First flush; Pollution source; Trace metal; Wet deposition.