A comparison of atmospheric exposure conditions at high- and low-elevation forests in the southern Appalachian Mountain range

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:6940685

Lindberg, S E; Silsbee, D; Schaefer, D A; Owens, J G; Petty, W

Two research sites were established at 300- and 1800-m elevations in the southern Appalachian Mountains for the study of effects of atmospheric deposition on forest element cycles. Meteorological and chemical data are collected continuously and on an event basis to compare the rate of wet and dry deposition to indigenous conifer forests. Climatic data confirm the expected differences in atmospheric exposure conditions between sites: precipitation, wind speed, and cloud or fog immersion time increase with elevation by factors of 2 to 50. Chemical data collected during the winter indicate comparable concentrations of most constituents in air and rain, while cloud water contains higher concentrations of acidity and acid anions than does fog water. All of these factors combine to create much higher deposition loading to the mountain site. Differences in dry deposition are reflected in significantly higher net throughfall fluxes in the high-elevation spruce stand.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA); Forest Service, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN (USA). Uplands Research Lab.; Grinnell Coll., IA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 6940685
• Report Number(s): CONF-8609193-3; ON: DE87004267
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
553000 -- Agriculture & Food Technology
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ACID RAIN
ACIDIFICATION
APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CHEMISTRY
CLOUDS
CONIFERS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
FOG
FORESTS
METEOROLOGY
MINERAL CYCLING
MOUNTAINS
NUTRIENTS
PLANTS
RAIN
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
SPRUCES
TREES
VARIATIONS
VELOCITY
WIND