Effects of acid mist on mature grafts of Sitka spruce. Part I. Frost hardiness and foliar nutrient concentrations

Mature grafts of five clones of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis Bong. Sarg.) were exposed to simulated acid mist composed of an equimolar mixture of sulphuric acid and ammonium nitrate at pH 2.5 and pH 5.0 in open-top chambers from May to November 1991. Treatments were applied on consecutive days, four times a week. The pH 2.5 treatment provided an overall dose three times higher than that received by forests in upland areas of Britain. Frost hardiness was assessed in November by freezing detached current year shoots at a range of temperatures and assessing the rate of electrolyte leakage Foliar nutrient concentrations were determined on the same shoots. Acid mist at pH 2.5 significantly reduced frost hardiness in four of the five clones; the temperature causing 50% shoot death (LT50) was increased by 0 to 7 degrees C. The clones varied in their level of hardiness, one clone being exceptionally frost sensitive. The frost hardiness of the frost sensitive clone was found to be less perturbed by acid mist than the hardiness of the more frost resistant clones. Mature grafts showed a smaller reduction in hardiness at an equivalent dose than that found previously with Sitka spruce seedlings. Compared with seedlings, grafts had lower absolute concentrations of foliar sulphur. Exposure to acid mist at pH 2.5 increased %S in current year foliage by <0.05% compared with absolute increases of more than 0.10% in current year foliage of seedlings. We conclude that the effect of acid mist on frost hardiness is likely to be less on mature trees than on seedlings and that the increased frost risk to mature trees of Sitka spruce from occult deposition alone is small.     

Ozone and increased nitrogen supply effects on the yield and nutritive quality of Trifolium subterraneum

The influence of ambient ozone (O₃) concentrations and nitrogen (N) fertilization, singly and in combination, on the growth and nutritive quality of Trifolium subterraneum was assessed. This is an important O₃-sensitive species of great pastoral value in Mediterranean areas. Plant material was enclosed in open-top chambers (OTCs). Three O₃ levels were established: Filtered air with O₃ concentrations below 15 ppb (CFA), non-filtered air with O₃ concentrations in the range of ambient levels (NFA), and non-filtered air supplemented with 40 ppb O₃ over ambient levels (NFA+). Similarly, three N levels were defined: 5, 15 and 30 kg ha⁻¹. The increase in O₃ exposure induced a reduction of the clover aerial green biomass and an increase of senescent biomass. Ozone effects were more adverse in the root system, inducing an impairment of the aerial/subterranean biomass ratio. Compared with the CFA treatment, nutritive quality of aerial biomass was 10 and 20% lower for NFA and NFA+ treatments, respectively, due to increased concentrations of acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber and lignin. The latter effect appears to be related to senescence acceleration. The increment in N supplementation enhanced the increase of ADF concentrations in those plants simultaneously exposed to ambient and above-ambient O₃ concentrations, and reduced the incremental rate of foliar senescence induced by the pollutant.     

Wet deposition of low molecular weight mono- and di-carboxylic acids,aldehydes and inorganic species in Los Angeles

About 60 rainwater samples were collected at west Los Angeles, California in 1981–1984 and were analyzed for C₁–C₉ monocarboxylic acids (0.33–79 μM, average (av.) 13±15 μM), C₂–C₁₀ dicarboxylic acids (2.9–51 μM, av. 7.5±14 μM) and C₁–C₄ aldehydes (0.85–28 μM, av. 9.2±11 μM). Distributions of monocarboxylic acids show a predominance of formic (average concentration: 6.5 μM) and acetic (av. 5.6 μM) acids followed by propionic acid (av. 0.44 μM). Oxalic acid is the dominant diacid (av. 3.9 μM) followed by succinic acid (av. 1.0 μM). Formaldehyde (av. 6.9 μM) is the dominant aldehyde, with the next most abundant, acetaldehyde, being minor (av. 0.65 μM). For select rain samples described in this paper, were found to comprise monocarboxylic acids 0.9–12.3% (av. 4.4±3.4%), diacids comprise 1.2–9.5% (av. 4.2±3.3%) and aldehydes comprise 0.2–6.2% (av. 2.1±2.2%) of total organic carbon (TOC, 2.0–18.6 mg C l⁻¹; av. 9.8±5.4 mg C l⁻¹). Annual rain fluxes of monocarboxylic acids and aldehydes during 1982–1983 were calculated to be 0.24 and 0.11 g m⁻² yr⁻¹, respectively, with an annual estimated wet deposition in the Los Angeles Basin of 3120 and 1430 tons, respectively. These fluxes are equivalent to 2500 times of the acids and 2.5 times of the aldehydes emitted from automobile exhausts in the Los Angeles air basin. This comparison suggests that major portions of the carboxylic acids detected in the rain are not directly emitted from auto-exhausts, but are most likely produced in the atmosphere by gaseous and/or aqueous phase photo-induced reactions.     

Biomass consumption and CO2, CO and main hydrocarbon gas emissions in an Amazonian forest clearing fire

Biomass consumption and CO₂, CO and hydrocarbon gas emissions in an Amazonian forest clearing fire are presented and discussed. The experiment was conducted in the arc of deforestation, near the city of Alta Floresta, state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. The average carbon content of dry biomass was 48% and the estimated average moisture content of fresh biomass was 42% on wet weight basis. The fresh biomass and the amount of carbon on the ground before burning were estimated as 528 t ha^?1 and 147 t ha^?1, respectively. The overall biomass consumption for the experiment was estimated as 23.9%. A series of experiment in the same region resulted in average efficiency of 40% for areas of same size and 50% for larger areas. The lower efficiency obtained in the burn reported here occurred possibly due to rain before the experiment. Excess mixing ratios were measured for CO₂, CO, CH₄, C₂–C₃ aliphatic hydrocarbons, and PM_2.5. Excess mixing ratios of CH₄ and C₂–C₃ hydrocarbons were linearly correlated with those of CO. The average emission factors of CO₂, CO, CH₄, NMHC, and PM_2.5 were 1,599, 111.3, 9.2, 5.6, and 4.8 g kg^?1 of burned dry biomass, respectively. One hectare of burned forest released about 117,000 kg of CO₂, 8100 kg of CO, 675 kg of CH₄, 407 kg of NMHC and 354 kg of PM_2.5.     

Relationship between precipitation chemistry and meteorological situations at a rural site in NE Spain

Bulk precipitation samples were collected at Montseny (Catalonia, NE Spain) from 1983 to 1994 and analysed for major cations and anions. The samples were classified for provenance based on meteorological synoptic maps and back trajectory analysis to identify the source areas of pollutants in precipitation. The meteorological classification was compared to an independent grouping based on multivariate data analysis (Clustering and Principal Component Analysis). Alkaline rain (mean pH=7.2) was associated to African trajectories. Local events produced neutral rains (mean pH=5.5). Acid rain was associated to rains of Atlantic origin (mean pH=4.8) and to European rains (mean pH=4.4), which also presented the highest mean concentrations of NH⁺₄ (57 μeq ℓ^-1), NO^-₃(49 μeq ℓ^-1) and SO^2-₄(103 μeq ℓ^-1). However, European events were only a small fraction of the total precipitation (10% of the cases). Marine rains accounted for 52% of the events, and African and Local for 20 and 18%, respectively. During the 11 year period there was a decreasing trend for the frequency of European events.     

Air concentrations and wet deposition of major inorganic ions at five non-urban sites in China, 2001–2003

Air and precipitation measurements at five sites were undertaken from 2001 to 2003 in four different provinces in China, as part of the acid rain monitoring program IMPACTS. The sites were located in Tie Shan Ping (TSP) in Chongqing, Cai Jia Tang (CJT) in Hunan, Lei Gong Shan (LGS) and Liu Chong Guan (LCG) in Guizhou and Li Xi He (LXH) in Guangdong. The site characteristics are quite varied with TSP and LCG located relatively near big cites while the three others are situated in more regionally representative areas. The distances to urban centres are reflected in the air pollution concentrations, with annual average concentrations of SO₂ ranging from 0.5 to above 40 μg S m⁻³. The main components in the airborne particles are (NH₄)₂SO₄ and CaSO₄. Reduced nitrogen has a considerably higher concentration level than oxidised nitrogen, reflecting the high ammonia emissions from agriculture. The gas/particle ratio for the nitrogen compounds is about 1:1 at all the three intensive measurement sites, while for sulphur it varies from 2.5 to 0.5 depending on the distance to the emission sources. As in air, the predominant ions in precipitation are sulphate, calcium and ammonium. The volume weighted annual concentration of sulphate ranges from about 70 μeq l⁻¹ at the most rural site (LGS) to about 200 μeq l⁻¹ at TSP and LCG. The calcium concentration ranges from 25 to 250 μeq l⁻¹, while the total nitrogen concentration is between 30 and 150 μeq l⁻¹; ammonium is generally twice as high as nitrate. China's acid rain research has traditionally been focused on urban sites, but these measurements show a significant influence of long range transported air pollutants to rural areas in China. The concentration levels are significantly higher than seen in most other parts of the world.     

Heterogeneous conversion of nitric acid to nitrous acid on the surface of primary organic aerosol in an urban atmosphere

Nitrous acid (HONO), nitric acid (HNO₃), and organic aerosol were measured simultaneously atop an 18-story tower in Houston, TX during August and September of 2006. HONO and HNO₃ were measured using a mist chamber/ion chromatographic technique, and aerosol size and chemical composition were determined using an Aerodyne quadrupole aerosol mass spectrometer. Observations indicate the potential for a new HONO formation pathway: heterogeneous conversion of HNO₃ on the surface of primary organic aerosol (POA). Significant HONO production was observed, with an average of 0.97 ppbv event^?1 and a maximum increase of 2.2 ppb in 4 h. Nine identified events showed clear HNO₃ depletion and well-correlated increases in both HONO concentration and POA-dominated aerosol surface area (SA). Linear regression analysis results in correlation coefficients (r²) of 0.82 for HONO/SA and 0.92 for HONO/HNO₃. After correction for established HONO formation pathways, molar increases in excess HONO (HONO_excess) and decreases in HNO₃ were nearly balanced, with an average HONO_excess/HNO₃ value of 0.97. Deviations from this mole balance indicate that the residual HNO₃ formed aerosol-phase nitrate. Aerosol mass spectral analysis suggests that the composition of POA could influence HONO production. Several previously identified aerosol-phase PAH compounds were enriched during events, suggesting their potential importance for heterogeneous HONO formation.     

Application of the nested grid STEM to an early summer acid rain in South Korea

The nested grid Sulfur Transport Eulerian Model (STEM) was developed and used to simulate the acid rain in Korea that occurred on 10 June 1996. The present nested grid system consists of three-grid systems. The coarsest grid system includes China, Korean Peninsula and Japan with the horizontal grid size of 80 km and the finest grid system includes only Korea with the horizontal grid size of 8.9 km. The calculated gas-phase SO₂ and O₃ concentrations agree relatively well with the field measurements. In addition, the model successfully reproduces the measured sulfate and nitrate concentrations in the rain water and futhermore identified the high concentration regions of liquid-phase sulfate and nitrate. In the present simulation conditions, most of the gas-phase of SO₂ and HNO₃ were washed out. A close relationship between wet deposition fluxes and precipitation rates were found for sulfate and nitrate. Finally, the model results also showed that a fine grid size is required to accurately calculate gas-phase concentrations as well as acid deposition fluxes.     

Light-absorbing aldol condensation products in acidic aerosols: Spectra,kinetics, and contribution to the absorption index

The radiative properties of aerosols that are transparent to light in the near-UV and visible, such as sulfate aerosols, can be dramatically modified when mixed with absorbing material such as soot. In a previous work we had shown that the aldol condensation of carbonyl compounds produces light-absorbing compounds in sulfuric acid solutions. In this work we report the spectroscopic and kinetic parameters necessary to estimate the effects of these reactions on the absorption index of sulfuric acid aerosols in the atmosphere. The absorption spectra obtained from the reactions of six different carbonyl compounds (acetaldehyde, acetone, propanal, butanal, 2-butanone, and trifluoroacetone) and their mixtures were compared over 190–1100 nm. The results indicated that most carbonyl compounds should be able to undergo aldol condensation. The products are oligomers absorbing light in the 300–500 nm region where few other compounds absorb, making them important for the radiative properties of aerosols. Kinetic experiments in 96–75 wt% H₂SO₄ solutions and between 273 and 314 K gave an activation energy for the rate constant of formation of the aldol products of acetaldehyde of −(70±15) kJ mol⁻¹ in 96 wt% solution and showed that the effect of acid concentration was exponential. A complete expression for this rate constant is proposed where the absolute value in 96 wt% H₂SO₄ and at 298 K is scaled to the Henry's law coefficient for acetaldehyde and the absorption cross-section for the aldol products assumed in this work. The absorption index of stratospheric sulfuric acid aerosols after a 2-year residence time was estimated to 2×10⁻⁴, optically equivalent to a content of 0.5% of soot and potentially significant for the radiative forcing of these aerosols and for satellite observations in channels where the aldol products absorb.     

Influence of air mass trajectories on the chemical composition of precipitation in India

Chemical composition of precipitation was measured with wet-only samplers at a rural site at Bhubaneswar in eastern India during 1997–1998. All rain events were compared with trajectories and precipitation fields from the ECMWF. The pH and ionic concentrations were found to vary systematically with the origin of air and the amount of rainfall along the trajectory. A seasonal cycle for pH was found with a monthly median pH below 5.0 during October–December. The highest monthly median concentration of Ca²⁺ was found in May with 20 μmol l⁻¹ and for SO₄²⁻ in January with 52 μmol l⁻¹. Samples with trajectories within 400 km from Bhubaneswar during the last 5 days were found to have a median pH slightly below 5.0 as an average. These samples also had the highest concentration for all measured ions, indicating large pollution sources within the region. Samples with continental origin showed a decrease of ∼70% in concentration if there had been rain during >50% of the last 5 days compared to rain during <50% of the last 5 days. High concentrations of Na⁺ and Cl⁻ were also found in continental samples. Resuspension of previously deposited sea salt is believed to be the reason. The data were compared with data from three other sites in western India and higher concentrations of almost all ions (NH₄⁺ being the exception) compared to Bhubaneswar were found at the west coast in monsoon samples.     

Dissolved organic carbon in rainwater: Glassware decontamination and sample preservation and volatile organic carbon

The efficiency of different methods for the decontamination of glassware used for the analysis of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was tested using reported procedures as well as new ones proposed in this work. A Fenton solution bath (1.0 mmol L⁻¹ Fe²⁺ and 100 mmol L⁻¹ H₂O₂) for 1 h or for 30 min employing UV irradiation showed to combine simplicity, low cost and high efficiency. Using the optimized cleaning procedure, the DOC for stored UV-irradiated ultra-pure water reached concentrations below the limit of detection (0.19 μmol C L⁻¹). Filtered (0.7 μm) rain samples maintained the DOC integrity for at least 7 days when stored at 4 °C. The volatile organic carbon (VOC) fraction in the rain samples collected at two sites in São Paulo state (Brazil) ranged from 0% to 56% of their total DOC content. Although these high-VOC concentrations may be derived from the large use of ethanol fuel in Brazil, our results showed that when using the high-temperature catalytic oxidation technique, it is essential to measure DOC rather than non-purgeble organic carbon to estimate organic carbon, since rainwater composition can be quite variable, both geographically and temporally.     

Atmospheric distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and deposition to Galveston Bay,Texas, USA

Estimates of the atmospheric deposition to Galveston Bay of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are made using precipitation and meteorological data that were collected continuously from 2 February 1995 to 6 August 1996 at Seabrook, TX, USA. Particulate and vapor phase PAHs in ambient air and particulate and dissolved phases in rain samples were collected and analyzed. More than 95% of atmospheric PAHs were in the vapor phase and about 73% of PAHs in the rain were in the dissolved phase. Phenanthrene and napthalene were the dominant compounds in air vapor and rain dissolved phases, respectively, while 5 and 6 ring PAH were predominant in the particulate phase of both air and rain samples. Total PAH concentrations ranged from 4 to 161 ng m⁻³ in air samples and from 50 to 312 ng l⁻¹ in rain samples. Temporal variability in total PAH air concentrations were observed, with lower concentrations in the spring and fall (4–34 ng m ⁻³) compared to the summer and winter (37–161 ng m⁻³). PAHs in the air near Galveston Bay are derived from both combustion and petroleum vaporization. Gas exchange from the atmosphere to the surface water is estimated to be the major deposition process for PAHs (1211 μg m^{− 2} yr^{− 1}), relative to wet deposition (130 μg m⁻² yr^{− 1}) and dry deposition (99 μg m⁻² yr^{− 1}). Annual deposition of PAHs directly to Galveston Bay from the atmosphere is estimated as 2  t yr⁻¹.     

Origin of low-molecular-weight dicarboxylic acids and their concentration and size distribution variation in suburban aerosol

The concentrations and size distributions of low molecular weight dicarboxylic acids in suburban particulate matter collected in early and mid-autumn 2002 and early and mid-summer 2003 in Tainan, Taiwan, were analyzed. PM_2.5 contained, on average, 449.3 ng m⁻³ oxalic acid, 53.0 ng m⁻³ malic acid, 45.5 ng m⁻³ maleic acid, 29.6 ng m⁻³ succinic acid, 20.8 ng m⁻³ malonic acid, and 11.6 ng m⁻³ tartaric acid. Bar tartaric acid, concentrations were higher during the day, indicating that these acids are photochemical products. Furthermore, the malonic acid–succinic acid ratio of 0.79 during daytime and 0.60 during nighttime demonstrates that more succinic acid is converted to malonic acid during daytime, and that aerosol dicarboxylic acids predominantly originate from photochemical oxidation during daytime. The concentration peak of oxalic acid occurred in the condensation and droplet modes (0.32–1.0 μm), as did that of sulfate. In early summer, succinic acid, malonic acid, and oxalic acid major concentration peaks occurred at 0.32–0.54 μm, indicative of the relationship created by photochemical decomposition of succinc acid into malonic acid into oxalic acid. This photochemical decomposition accelerated in mid-summer such that most concentration peaks for succinic and malonic acids also occurred at 0.32–1.0 μm. Mid-summer is also the wettest period of the four in Tainan, with 85% RH. As a result of hygroscopic reactions in mid-summer, malonic acid and oxalic acid major concentration peaks shifted from 0.32–0.54 μm or 0.54–1.0 μm to 1.0–1.8 μm, thus extending the range in which these species were found to larger particle sizes, and this shift was highly correlated with a shift in succinic acid size distribution. This latter observation offers additional evidence that succinic acid is photochemically decomposed into malonic acid and oxalic acid and that the presence of malonic and oxalic acids in the wet mid-summer atmosphere is made more obvious via hygroscopic growth. Close correlation between succinic acid and Na⁺ and succinic acid and NO₃⁻ in the coarse mode is related to sea spray.     

Rainwater formaldehyde: concentration,deposition and photochemical formation

Formaldehyde (HCHO) concentrations were measured in 116 rain samples in Wilmington, NC from June 1996 to February 1998. Concentrations ranged from below the detection limit of 10 nM, to 13 μM, in the range of HCHO levels reported at other locations worldwide. The volume-weighted annual average rainwater formaldehyde concentration was 3.3±0.3 μM and comprised approximately 3% of the measured dissolved organic carbon. Using the volume weighted average HCHO concentration and annual precipitation of 1.4 m, an annual formaldehyde deposition of 4.6 mmol m⁻² yr⁻¹ was determined. Rainwater is a significant source of formaldehyde to surface waters and may contribute as much as 30 times the resident amount found in natural waters of southeastern North Carolina during the summer. Formaldehyde concentrations did not correlate with precipitation volume suggesting continuous supply during rain events. Evidence is presented which indicates part of this supply may be from direct photochemical production in the aqueous phase. Formaldehyde levels exhibited a distinct seasonal oscillation, with higher concentrations during the summer. This pattern is similar to that observed with other rainwater parameters at this site including pH, nitrate, and ammonium, and is most likely the result of increased photochemical production, as well as biogenic and anthropogenic emissions during summer months. The concentration of formaldehyde in both winter El Nino rains and summer tropical rains was less than half its concentration in non-El Nino or non-tropical events, suggesting significant terrestrial input. Formaldehyde was correlated with hydrogen peroxide and non-sea-salt sulfate deposition suggesting a relationship between HCHO, H₂O₂, S(VI) within the troposphere.     

Ozone sensitivity of the Mediterranean terophyte Trifolium striatum is modulated by soil nitrogen content

The influence of nitrogen (N) fertilization on the sensitivity to ozone (O₃) has been studied using the O₃ sensitive species Trifolium striatum, an annual species frequently found in therophitic grasslands of the dehesas in the central Iberian Peninsula. The experiment was carried out in open-top chambers using three different O₃ exposure treatments: charcoal-filtered air (CFA), non-filtered air (NFA) and non-filtered air plus 40 nl l⁻¹ added over ambient concentrations (NFA+). After 30 days of exposure to the different treatments, plants were placed under ambient conditions until seed ripeness was completed. Three N fertilization treatments were established receiving final doses of 10 (low), 30 (medium) or 60 (high) kg N ha⁻¹ throughout the growing period divided into four proportional doses at every 15 days. Ozone affected phenology and reduced total aerial and flower biomass and seed production in NFA and NFA+ treatments. Carry-over effects of O₃ on the reproductive ability of this species were found resulting in reductions in flower biomass and seed production detected 1 month after O₃ exposure. By contrast, N fertilization increased aerial and flower biomass. Significant O₃×N interactive effects were detected since N fertilization counterbalanced O₃-induced effects only when plants were exposed to moderate O₃ levels (NFA) but not under high O₃ concentrations (NFA+). The observed O₃ effects on reproductive ability of T. striatum might determine changes in species viability and future diversity of the ecosystem.     

Responses of two birch (Betula pendula Roth) clones to different ozone profiles with similar AOT40 exposure

Saplings of two clones of European white birch (Betula pendula Roth) were exposed to three different ozone profiles resulting in same AOT40 value of 13–14 ppm h in a chamber experiment. The sensitive clone 5 and the more tolerant clone 2 were growing (1) under filtered air (=control), or (2) were exposed to 70 ppb ozone for 24 h d⁻¹ (=profile 1), (3) to 100 ppb ozone for 12 h d⁻¹ at 8:00–20:00 (=profile 2), or (4) to 200 ppb ozone for 4.5 h d⁻¹ at 9:30–14:00 (=profile 3) for 20 d. The saplings were determined for growth, visible leaf injuries, stomatal conductance, and concentrations of Rubisco, chlorophyll and carotenoids. Growth responses and induction of visible foliar injuries under different ozone profiles were variable, resulting in 4–17% lower dry mass of shoot, 16–46% reduction in stem height increment and 11–43% increase in visible injuries in clone 5, which was accompanied by higher leaf turnover rate under profile 3 indicating compensation growth. In clone 2, ozone-induced responses ranged from slight stimulation in stem height growth to 13% decrease in dry mass of shoot and 2–16% increase in visible injuries. Daytime stomatal conductance rates were lowered by 14–54% in clone 5 and 9–74% in clone 2, depending on profile. The additional power-weighted analyses revealed that high peak concentrations and exposure shape were important for induction of visible injuries in both clones and reduction in stomatal conductance in clone 5, whereas growth reductions were rather related to total cumulative exposure. The results indicate that profile of ozone exposure, night-time stomatal conductance (24 h flux), and recovery time for defence and compensations reactions should not be ignored in plant response and ozone flux modelling.     

Relationship between leaf antioxidants and ozone injury in Nicotiana tabacum ‘Bel-W3’ under environmental conditions in São Paulo,SE – Brazil

Previous studies have reported that the extent of leaf injury in Nicotiana tabacum “Bel-W3” exposed to environmental conditions in the city of São Paulo is influenced by weather conditions. This influence may occur by means of antioxidant responses. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate whether daily antioxidant responses to environmental variations interfere on the progression of leaf injury on plants of this cultivar during their exposure in a state park of São Paulo and to determine a linear combination of variables, among antioxidants and environmental factors, which mostly explain this visible response. Plants were exposed at the mentioned site for 14 days in four different experiments. During each experiment, three plants were daily sampled to determine the accumulated percentage of leaf area affected by necrosis and antioxidant responses (concentrations of total ascorbic acid (AA) and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidases (POD)). Ozone concentrations and weather conditions were also daily measured. Pearson correlations and multivariate analyses assessed the relationship between biological and environmental variables. Leaf injury appeared between the 3rd and 6th days of exposure and increased over the exposure periods. The daily concentrations of AA tended to decrease with time of exposure in all experiments, but the activity of SOD and POD oscillated during plant exposure. Positive correlations were observed between AA or SOD and O₃ concentrations, as well as negative correlations between AA and air temperature. The increasing percentage of leaf necrosis across the whole period was explained by decreasing levels of AA 2 days before injury estimation and by higher O₃ concentrations 5 days before (R² = 0.36; p < 0.001). The use of N. tabacum Bel-W3 as a bioindicator can be restricted by leaf antioxidant responses to both atmospheric contamination and weather conditions.     

Ammonia volatilization from sows on grassland

According to regulations, sows with piglets on organic farms must graze on pastures. Volatilization of ammonia (NH₃) from urine patches may represent a significant source of nitrogen (N) loss from these farms. Inputs of N are low on organic farms and losses may reduce crop production. This study examined spatial variations in NH₃ volatilization using a movable dynamic chamber, and the pH and total ammoniacal nitrogen (TAN) content in the topsoil of pastures with grazing sows was measured during five periods between June 1998 and May 1999. Gross NH₃ volatilization from the pastures was also measured with an atmospheric mass balance technique during seven periods from September 1997 until June 1999. The dynamic chamber study showed a high variation in NH₃ volatilization because of the distribution of urine; losses were between 0 and 2.8 g NH₃–N m⁻² day⁻¹. Volatilization was highest near the feeding area and the huts, where the sows tended to urinate. Ammonia volatilization rate was linearly related to the product of NH₃ concentration in the boundary layer and wind speed. The NH₃ in the boundary layer was in equilibrium with NH₃ in soil solution. Gross NH₃ volatilization was in the range 0.07–2.1 kg NH₃–N ha⁻¹ day⁻¹ from a pasture with 24 sows ha⁻¹. Ammonia volatilization was related to the amount of feed given to the sows, incident solar radiation and air temperature during measuring periods, and also to temperature, incident solar radiation and rain 1–2 days before measurements. Annual ammonia loss was 4.8 kg NH₃–N sow⁻¹.     

Decadal reductions of traffic emissions on a transit route in Austria – results of the Tauerntunnel experiment 1997

Real-world emissions of a traffic fleet on a transit route in Austria were determined in the Tauerntunnel experiment in October 1997. The total number of vehicles and the average speed was nearly the same on both measuring days (465 vehicles 30 min⁻¹ and 76 km h⁻¹ on the workday, 477 and 78 km h⁻¹ on Sunday). The average workday fleet contained 17.6% heavy-duty vehicles (HDV) and the average Sunday fleet 2.8% HDV resulting in up to four times higher emission rates per vehicle per km on the workday than on Sunday for most of the regulated components (CO₂, CO, NO_x, SO₂, and particulate matter-PM10). Emission rates of NMVOC accounted for 200 mg vehicle⁻¹ km⁻¹ on both days. The relative contributions of light-duty vehicles (LDV) and HDV to the total emissions indicated that aldehydes, BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes), and alkanes are mainly produced by LDV, while HDV dominated emissions of CO, NO_x, SO₂, and PM10. Emissions of NO_x caused by HDV were 16,100 mg vehicle⁻¹ km⁻¹ (as NO₂). Produced by LDV they were much lower at 360 mg vehicle⁻¹ km⁻¹. Comparing the emission rates to the results that were obtained by the 1988 experiment at the same place significant changes in the emission levels of hydrocarbons and CO, which accounted 1997 to only 10% of the levels in 1988, were noticed. However, the decrease of PM has been modest leading to values of 80 and 60% of the levels in 1988 on the workday and on Sunday, respectively. Emission rates of NO_x determined on the workday in 1997 were 3130 mg vehicle⁻¹ km⁻¹ and even higher than in 1988 (2630 mg vehicle⁻¹ km⁻¹), presumable due to the increase of the HD-traffic.     

Development of an improved optical transmission technique for black carbon (BC) analysis

A new optical transmission technique for black carbon (BC) analysis was developed to minimize interferences due to scattering effects in filter samples. A standard thermal analysis method (VDI, 1999) is used to link light attenuation by the filter samples to elemental carbon (EC) concentration. Scattering effects are minimized by immersion of the filters in oil of a similar refractive index, as is often done for microscopy purposes. Light attenuation was measured using both a white light source and a red LED of 650 nm. The usual increase in overestimation of BC concentrations with decreasing BC amount in filter samples was found considerably reduced. Some effects of BC properties (e.g. fractal dimension, microstructure and size distribution) on the specific attenuation coefficient B_ATN, however, are still present for the treated samples. B_ATN was found close to 1 m² g⁻¹ for dry-dispersed industrial BC and 7 m² g⁻¹ for nebulized BC. Good agreement was found between the oil immersion, integrating sphere and a polar photometer technique and Mie calculations. The average specific attenuation coefficient of ambient samples in oil varied between 7 and 11 m² g⁻¹ for white light and 6 and 9 m² g⁻¹ for red light (LED). B_ATN was found to have much less site variation for the treated than for the untreated samples. The oil immersion technique improved also the correlation with thermally analyzed EC. This new immersion technique therefore presents a considerable improvement over conventional optical transmission techniques and may therefore serve as a simple, fast and cost-effective alternative to thermal methods.