Air quality data analysis system for interrelating effects, standards, and needed source reductions. Part 3. Vegetation injury

Journal Article · Thu Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1976 · J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/00022470.1976.10470257· OSTI ID:6499241

Larsen, R I; Heck, W W

Acute leaf injury data are analyzed for 19 plant species exposed to ozone or sulfur dioxide. The data can be depicted by a new leaf injury mathematical model with two characteristics: a constant percentage of leaf surface is injured by an air pollutant concentration that is inversely proportional to exposrue duration raised to an exponent; for a given exposure duration, the percent leaf injury as a function of pollutant concentration tends to fit a lognormal frequency distribution. Leaf injury as a function of laboratory exposure duration is modeled and compared with ambient air pollutant concentration measurements for various averaging times to determine which exposure durations are probably most important for setting ambient air quality standards to prevent or reduce visible leaf injury. The 8 hour average appears to be most important for most of the plants investigated for most sites, 1 hr concentrations are important for most plants at a few sites, and 3 hr SO/sub 2/ concentrations are important for some plants, especially those exposed to isolated point sources of the pollutant. The 1, 3, and 8 hr threshold injury concentrations are listed for each of the 19 plant species studied. To prevent or reduce acute leaf injury, fixed, nonoverlapping ambient air quality measurements and standards are recommended for averaging times of 1, 3, and 8 hr.

• Research Organization: Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC
• OSTI ID: 6499241
• Journal Information: J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc.; (United States) Vol. 26:4; 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.
AIR POLLUTION
AIR QUALITY
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CHALCOGENIDES
DATA ANALYSIS
DISTRIBUTION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
INJURIES
LEAVES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OZONE
PLANTS
POINT POLLUTANT SOURCES
POLLUTION
POLLUTION SOURCES
RECOMMENDATIONS
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
SULFUR OXIDES
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION