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PREDICTING THE IMPACT OF TROPOSPHERIC OZONE ON PLANTS AND ECOSYSTEMS AS A BASIS FOR SETTING NATIONAL AIR QUALITY STANDARDS
Citation:
Hogsett, W E. AND D T. Tingey. PREDICTING THE IMPACT OF TROPOSPHERIC OZONE ON PLANTS AND ECOSYSTEMS AS A BASIS FOR SETTING NATIONAL AIR QUALITY STANDARDS. Presented at Ecological Society of America annual meeting, Tucson, AZ, August 3-9, 2002.
Description:
The Clean Air Act provides for establishing National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to protect public welfare (including crops, forests, ecosystems, and soils) from adverse effects of air pollutants, including tropospheric ozone. The formulation of policies is science-based, peer-reviewed and has public input. Which effects are considered adverse is ultimately a societal determination, and involves interplay between scientists and society. Physiological and ecological effects that are detrimental to the individual organism or the ecosystem may thus not be considered adverse in this regulatory context. We trace the use of science in establishing a national air quality standard for tropospheric ozone to illustrate the role of ecological science and the public in this regulatory arena. Since the early 1970's, science has focused on effects to agronomic, horticultural crops, and tree species. Most studies are empirical and science has identified many uncertainties in quantification of ozone's impact. Simulation models have been used to address those uncertainties in predicting growth effects across spatial and temporal scales. Only crop yield and tree seedling growth studies have been used in cost/benefit analyses to assess potential policy. The value of these assessments is directly affected by the degree of scientific certainty and whether the effect is ultimately considered adverse. Ecological science now has a role to address the means to quantify the identified uncertainties and to identify and quantify loss across a broad spectrum of other ecosystem goods and services as a result of exposure to ozone.