Absorption of gaseous air pollutants by a standardized plant canopy

Journal Article · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1973 · J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/00022470.1973.10469767· OSTI ID:5555436

Bennett, J H; Hill, A C

Concentration profiles for hydrogen fluoride (HF), sulfur dioxide (SO/sub 2/), ozone (O/sub 3/), nitrogen dioxide (NO/sub 2/), and nitric oxide (NO) generated in a standardized alfalfa canopy are presented. Wind, light, temperature, and carbon dioxide (CO/sub 2/) profiles, canopy pollutant uptake rates, and canopy structural data are also given. Canopy pollutant concentration profile characteristics were studied to evaluate the relative potentials for major air pollutants to penetrate into canopies. The study was conducted in an environmental growth chamber equipped to control automatically environmental conditions and monitor continuously gas exchange rates. HF, SO/sub 2/, and NO/sub 2/ profiles suggested that these gases were removed efficiently by the upper portion of the canopy as well as by the immediate subsurface vegetation. The steady state HF profile showed the greatest displacement within the canopy. The NO profile was displaced the least. The uptake rate of NO by plants was apparently too slow in comparison with gas transport and mixing within the canopy to affect the internal profile substantially. O/sub 3/ appeared to be readily deposited on the surface tissues, but the deeper tissues in the canopy had less effect on the concentration profile. Data are also presented to show the relationship between NO/sub 2/ concentration within the canopy and changes in the air concentration above the vegetation. The results indicated that gas transport between the atmosphere and canopy interior was rapid. The data presented should be of current interest to agriculturists, researchers, administrators, and environmental planners concerned with effects of air pollutants on plants and on the fate of pollutants in the microenvironment.

• OSTI ID: 5555436
• Journal Information: J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc.; (United States) Vol. 23:3; ISSN JPCAA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560303 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Plants-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ACID RAIN
ADSORBENTS
ADSORPTION
AIR POLLUTION
ALFALFA
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
BIOADSORBENTS
CHALCOGENIDES
DEPOSITION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FOLIAR UPTAKE
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN SULFIDES
LEAVES
LEGUMINOSAE
MASS TRANSFER
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OZONE
PLANTS
POLLUTION
RAIN
RESPONSE MODIFYING FACTORS
SORPTION
SORPTIVE PROPERTIES
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
SULFUR OXIDES
SURFACE PROPERTIES
UPTAKE