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SUB-CANOPY DEPOSITION OF OZONE IN A STAND OF CUTLEAF CORNFLOWER
Citation:
FINKELSTEIN, P. L., A. W. DAVIDSON, H. S. NEUFELD, T. MEYERS, AND A. H. CHAPPELKA. SUB-CANOPY DEPOSITION OF OZONE IN A STAND OF CUTLEAF CORNFLOWER. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 131(2):295-303, (2004).
Impact/Purpose:
Improve the understanding of the interaction of the atmosphere and the underlying surface and EPA's ability to simulate that interaction.
Description:
Although there has been a great deal of research on ozone, interest in exposure of native, herbaceous species is relatively recent and it is still not clear what role the pollutant has in their ecological fitness. The ozone exposure of a plant is usually expressed in terms of the concentration above the canopy or as a time-weighted index. However, to understand the physiological effects of ozone it is necessary to quantify the ozone flux to individual leaves as they develop, which requires knowing the deposition velocity and concentration of the pollutant as a function of height throughout the plant canopy. We used a high-order closure model of subcanopy turbulence to estimate ozone profiles in stands of cutleaf coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata L.) located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA. The model was run for periods coinciding with a short field study, during which we measured vertical concentration profiles of ozone along with measurements of atmospheric turbulence and other meteorological and plant variables. Predictions of ozone profiles by the model are compared with observations throughout the canopy.