Torres, Mark2024-06-102024-06-102024Osorio, Valentina. "Rainy with a Chance of Sea Salt: Sourcing the Sulfur in Houston's Rainfall.” Undergraduate honors thesis, Rice University, 2024. https://doi.org/10.25611/YDBE-DG81.https://hdl.handle.net/1911/117233As one of six criteria air pollutants monitored by the US Environmental Protection Agency, sulfur dioxide negatively affects human and environmental health. Upon entering the atmosphere, sulfur dioxide is oxidized and dissolved in water as sulfuric acid; consequently sulfate rains out and can act as a tracer for atmospheric processing of sulfur compounds. Precipitation data were taken in Houston and compared to the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge in order to compare sulfur sources in atmospheric deposition between urban and rural regions. Houston rain exhibits chemical sign atures that are suggestive of seawater and dust influences on rain chemistry, but leaves uncertainty in attributions to these sources as well as others expected to be present around Houston. This project evaluates the degree to which solute and water isotope data can be used to source sulfate in rainfall both within the major city of Houston and outside of its large suburban area.27 ppengThis work is protected by copyright and is made available here for research and educational purposes. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.sulfur dioxidesulfatestable isotopesdepositionRainy_with_a_Chance_of_Sea_Salt_ Sourcing_the_Sulfur_in_Houston_RainfallThesishttps://doi.org/10.25611/YDBE-DG81