The importance of the dry deposition of aerosols as a pathway for the transfer of alkaline material to ecosystems is discussed, as is the difficulty investigators face when trying to measure such deposition. Accordingly, an inference technique is developed which allows for the estimation of the annual and monthly dry deposition of Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Na(+) and K(+), based upon the linear relationship exhibited between the measured surface concentrations and wet deposition at 23 stations in Ontario, Canada for the period 1983-1985. Theoretically, this inference technique is based upon the premise that precipitation efficiently scavenges the aerosols, resulting in a strong correlation between concentrations within precipitation and the surface air concentrations. Because of the stochastic nature of such an approach, care must be taken to ensure that the assumptions inherent to precipitation scavenging and therefore this inference technique are carefully considered. Under such considerations, annual and monthly dry deposition of the alkaline aerosols can be estimated at many locations across North America where wet deposition measurements are routinely made. (Copyright (c) 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers.)