Abstract
Precipitation samples were collected by a wet-only automatic acid precipitation sampler at Kangwha island on the western coast in Korea, through January until December 1992. pH, electric conductivity and the concentrations of major water-soluble ion components such as N $H_{4}$$^{+}$, $Ca^{2+}$, $K^{+}$, $Mg^{2+}$, N $a^{+}$, N $O_{3}$$^{[-10]}$ , S $O_{4}$$^{2-}$ and C $l^{[-10]}$ were measured. From the result of checking the validity for assesment of pollution level of precipitation samples by pH using correlation analysis between pH and major components, and t-test of chemical composition between acid rain and non-acid rain, pH proved to be not satisfactory for its pillution level. A more comprehensive method is therefore required. In order to estimate the monthly analytical result of chemical composition of precipitation samples comprehensively, a cluster analysis was used among the various multivariate statistical analysis. As a result of making a cluster analysis for separating the monthly precipitation samples into homogeneous patterns by setting the concentrations of nine major water-soluble ion components as a variable, three homogeneous patterns were obtained. The first pattern was a group of months having average ion concentrations, the second a guoup of months having low ion concentration, and the third a group of months having high ion concentrations. Thus, it was indicated that the pollution level of precipitation was higher on February and lower on May, June, August and September than the other months. As a result, this analysis method could be estimated the chemical coposition of precipitation regionally as well as monthly.monthly.