Multielemental analysis of tree rings: a survey of coniferous trees in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. [Picea rubens; Abies fraseri; Tsuga canadensis; Pinus rigida; Pinus strobus]
Conifers were sampled at various locations in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) to examine changes in growth rate and elemental composition of the tree rings as a function of tree species and location. Earlier studies in the park had indicated (1) recent increases in deposition of trace metals at high-elevation sites and (2) decreased tree ring widths and increased iron accumulation in short-leaf pine between 1863 and 1912 in trees at Cades Cove, which were thought to be influenced by emissions from copper smelters at Copperhill, Tennessee, 88 km upwind of the cove. Conifers were cored for multielement analysis growth analysis at nine locations throughout the GSMNP. Multielement analysis was performed for 31 elements, 21 of which were generally detected in the xylem: Al, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, Hf, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Si, Sr, Ti, and Zn. There was little evidence of a synchronous growth decline in conifers between 1863 and 1912 at the sites sampled. A comparison between raw ring widths averaged over the periods 1974 to 1983 and 1929 to 1958 showed that approximately 77, 83, and 88% of all red spruce, Fraser fir, and hemlock, respectively, had lower growth rates during the latter time period. The elemental concentrations found in wood suggest that the trees in the GSMNP are not exposed to levels of trace metals as high as are trees immediately downwind of smelters or fossil fuel plants. However, the patterns of Mn and Zn in Fraser fir at high-elevation sites and the temporal similarity between increases of Al, B, Cu, Fe, and Ni in wood and increases in fossil fuel emissions upwind of the GSMNP suggest that forests in the park are exposed to increasing levels of trace metal deposition or that trace metals are made more available for uptake by trees as a result of anthropogenic influences. 48 refs., 22 figs., 11 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400
- OSTI ID:
- 6039877
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL-6155; ON: DE86006750
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products. Original copy available until stock is exhausted. Environmental Sciences Division Publication No. 2640
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
CONIFERS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
METALS
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION
TREES
PLANT GROWTH
AIR POLLUTION
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FIRS
PINES
QUANTITY RATIO
SPRUCES
TREE RINGS
DATA
DISTRIBUTION
ELEMENTS
GROWTH
INFORMATION
NUMERICAL DATA
PLANTS
POLLUTION
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560303 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology- Plants- (-1987)