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PubMed2005

[Degradation of nitrobenzene in aqueous solution by modified ceramic honeycomb-catalyzed ozonation].

Comparative experiments of modified ceramic honeycomb, ceramic honeycomb-catalyzed ozonation and ozonation alone were conducted with nitrobenzene as the model organic pollutant. It was found that the processes of modified ceramic honeycomb and ceramic honeycomb-catalyzed ozonation could increase the removal efficiency of nitrobenzene by 38.35% and 15.46%, respectively, compared with that achieved by ozonation alone. Under the conditions of this experiment, the degradation rate of modified ceramic honeycomb-catalyzed ozonation increased by 30.55% with the increase of amount of catalyst to 5 blocks. The degradation rate of three process all increased greatly with the increase of temperature and value of pH in the solution. But when raising the pH value of the solution to 10.00, the advantage of modified ceramic honeycomb-catalyzed ozonation processes lost. The experimental results indicate that in modified ceramic honeycomb-catalyzed ozonation, nitrobenzene is primarily oxidized by *OH free radical in aqueous solution. The adsorption of nitrobenzene is too limited to have any influence on the degradation efficiency of nitrobenzene. With the same total dosage of applied ozone, the multiple steps addition of ozone showed a much higher removal efficiency than that obtained by one step in three processes. Modified ceramic honeycomb had a relative longer lifetime.

Catalysis↗
PubMed1979

Ozonation of mutagenic and carcinogenic alkylating agents, pesticides, aflatoxin B1, and benzidine in water.

The effect of ozonation on the mutagenicity of selected chemicals in water was determined. The use of the Salmonella-microsome assay for mutagensis allowed kinetic studies to be performed on the ozonation of all chemicals tested. The results indicate that the mutagenicity of certain pesticides, including captan and Dexon, was inactivated by short periods of ozonation. The mutagenicity of certain alkylating agents including bis(2-chloroethyl)amine and sodium azide was rapidly inactivated by ozonation while other alkylating agents such as beta-propiolactone, propanesultone, and N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine were unaffected by treatment with ozone. The mutagenicity of aflatoxin B1 was rapidly inactivated by treatment with ozone. Three chemicals were shown to be converted to direct mutagens by ozone treatment. Under certain conditions, dimethylhydrazine could be converted to a mutagen that was stable for 3 weeks. A similar chemical, 2-hydroxyethylhydrazine, was converted to an unstable mutagen that was inactive after 24 hr at room temperature. When benzidine was treated with ozone, there was a transient increase in mutagenicity which was lost after longer treatment with ozone.

Aflatoxins↗
PubMed1982

Effects of long-term exposure to low levels of ozone: a review.

Available literature regarding long-term effects of ozone on animals and humans is reviewed. Emphasis is placed on reports that have appeared since 1976, but some earlier reports are cited for completeness and perspective. This review shows that ozone concentration is more important than duration of exposure in determining the effects of an ozone exposure (dose). This conclusion calls into question the validity of the Time-Weighted Average (TWA) as an index of severity of ozone exposure. The literature review further reveals a wide variation in susceptibility of different animal species to ozone, making it difficult to apply results of animal experiments to humans. It further appears that a dose of ozone that is acutely innocuous is also innocuous over the long term. The effects of a symptom-producing dose of ozone are initially cumulative for the first two or three exposures; then an adaptive response may ensue that involves a plateau of response or even reversal. These effects are shown by both animals and humans. The mechanisms are unknown. Ozone probably causes damage by the free radical formation. Free radical scavengers, such as vitamin E and C, may provide protection against ozone damage.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1995

Consequences of prolonged inhalation of ozone on F344/N rats: collaborative studies. Part IX: Changes in the tracheobronchial epithelium, pulmonary acinus, and lung antioxidant enzyme activity.

The effect of ozone on the respiratory system is not confined to a single region or a specific cell type. Ozone-induced injury can occur at all levels of the respiratory system. However, the effects of this oxidant gas throughout the tracheobronchial tree and the lung parenchyma can be highly variable. The doses of ozone delivered to the various regions may also be different, and these differences may have a significant effect on the extent of injury. To examine the effects of chronic exposure to ozone on the lungs, we used a systematic sampling approach to perform morphometric, histochemical, and enzymatic analyses of selected airway generations and pulmonary acini arising from short and long airway paths of the tracheobronchial tree. The objectives of this study were to define compositional, cytochemical, and architectural changes that occur in epithelial cells of the airways and major tissue components of the pulmonary acini after 20 months of exposure to 0.0, 0.12, 0.5, or 1.0 parts per million (ppm)* ozone in male and female F344/N rats. We found in the trachea and bronchi significant alterations in stored secretory product following exposure to ozone, but no changes in epithelial thickness or the volume density of nonciliated cells. The volume density of nonciliated cells was significantly increased in terminal bronchioles arising from a long airway path (caudal region) of the left lung. The predominant change within the pulmonary acini was the extension of bronchiolar epithelium beyond the bronchiole-alveolar duct junction into alveoli. This change was concentration-dependent and site-specific, with ventilatory units arising from a short path (cranial region) of the left lung in male rats being most affected. The antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione S-transferase were significantly elevated in the distal bronchiole to central acinus following 20 months of exposure to 0.5 or 1.0 ppm ozone. Changes in antioxidant enzyme levels were more variable in other airway generations. We conclude that the effects of long-term (20-month) exposure to ozone are dose-dependent and site-specific along the tracheobronchial tree and pulmonary acini of the lungs. With the tissue sampling strategies used in this study, for the first time microdosimetric relations between ozone concentrations and biological changes in precisely delineated regions of the lungs can be defined along the entire lower respiratory tract.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1994

Consequences of prolonged inhalation of ozone on F344/N rats: collaborative studies. Part III: Effects on complex carbohydrates of lung connective tissue.

Glycosaminoglycans are constituents of proteoglycans, which are integral components of lung connective tissue. Glycosaminoglycans not only provide structural support to organs, but also influence extracellular matrix assembly, cell adhesion, and cell proliferation. Changes in the metabolism of glycosaminoglycans have been noted in several pulmonary diseases, for example, pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. We studied quantitative and qualitative changes of glycosaminoglycans in the lungs of rats exposed to a range of ozone levels (0, 0.12, 0.5, 1.0 parts per million) for 20 months. Glycosaminoglycans were isolated from dry-defatted lung tissues through successive digestions by pronase, papain, and 2 M sodium hydroxide. The glycosaminoglycans then were fractionated into individual components using high-performance liquid chromatography. The concentration of total glycosaminoglycans in the tissues varied from 1.5 to 4.2 micrograms of uronate/mg of dry-defatted tissue. Although wide variations in total glycosaminoglycan concentrations exist among individual animals within each exposure group, regression analyses of data indicate a monotonic and statistically significant decrease of total glycosaminoglycans after ozone exposure (p = 0.02). Among individual glycosaminoglycans, hyaluronan, chondroitin 4-sulfate, and chondroitin 6-sulfate levels decreased significantly (p < 0.001, p < 0.05, and p < 0.01, respectively) in animals exposed to ozone when compared with control animals. Heparan sulfate concentration exhibited a significant (p < 0.05) trend toward increase with increasing doses of ozone, but the difference in heparan sulfate concentration between ozone-exposed animals and control animals was not significant. Gel filtration studies of glycosaminoglycans in pooled samples indicated that the molecular size of hyaluronan in animals exposed to ozone was lower than it was in control animals. We noted differences in heparan sulfate's chemical properties and affinity to antithrombin III in ozone-exposed animals and control animals. Although these studies do not provide the mechanism responsible for the observed changes in the lung glycosaminoglycans in ozone-exposed animals, the observations indicate that inhalation of ozone for 20 months affects normal cellular metabolism of proteoglycans, which may contribute to the functional impairment of the lung.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Ozone as a bioregulator. Pharmacology and toxicology of ozonetherapy today.

The disinfectant activity of ozone is well recognized and ozone is used worldwide for sterilization of water. The use of ozone as a complementary medical approach is less known, because it has mostly been used in an empirical fashion without a rational basis and appropriate controls. In spite of this drawback, the use of judicious and standardized ozone dosages can elicit the formation of ROS acting as natural physiological activators of several biological functions. There is now a reasonable understanding of a few mechanisms of action and, using classical pharmacological concepts, it appears possible to formulate a rationale for optimizing clinical applications. A further exciting development is that ozone, being an oxidizer, can upregulate the intracellular anti-oxidant enzymes eventually inhibiting the constant, life-long oxidative stress responsible for degenerative diseases and aging. Among various routes for the administration of ozone, the autohemotransfusion procedure, consisting in exposing blood to ozone, i.e. to a calculated and brief oxidative stress, appears safe, simple, inexpensive and amenable to be adjusted to different pathological states It is hoped that this review will help to dispel prejudices, to clarify that ozone toxicity can be tamed, to show that ozone can act as a bioregulator and to encourage controlled clinical investigations to evaluate definitely the validity of ozonetherapy.

Aging↗
PubMed1997

Ozone Degradation by Fluoride onto Plasma-Treated Activated Carbon in CF4

The ozone degradation of fluorine was investigated using the tetrafluoromethane plasma-treated activated carbon (PT-AC). The ozone in the stratosphere has been degraded by the chloride and bromide radicals which are produced from chlorofluorocarbons and bromofluorocarbons, respectively. However, we believe that fluorine also was related to the ozone degradation. The fluoride was introduced onto the activated carbon surface by tetrafluoromethane plasma treatment. The breakthrough curve of ozone onto PT-AC was measured to elucidate the relationship between the ozone and the fluoride. The amount of ozone adsorbed/degraded onto the PT-AC was larger than the amount that was adsorbed/degraded onto the untreated activated carbon. The amount of fluoride ion eluted from the PT-AC before the adsorption/degradation of ozone was larger than that which eluted after the adsorption/degradation of ozone. These results indicated that the ozone was degraded by the fluoride on the PT-AC surface.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1990

The characterization of ozone concentrations at a select set of high-elevation sites in the eastern United States.

Hourly averaged data for ozone collected in 1986 and 1987 were analyzed and characterized for a select set of high-elevation sites in the eastern United States. Pressure-corrected adjustments may be necessary when comparing ozone concentrations measured at two different elevations. When unadjusted concentrations (i.e. in units of parts per million) were used, the Whiteface Mountain sites showed what appeared to be an ozone elevational gradient. A gradient was not observed for the two MCCP Shenandoah National Park sites (SH1 and SH2). When adjusted ozone values (i.e. in units of micrograms per cubic meter) were used, the elevational gradient reported for Whiteface Mountain was no longer observed. When unadjusted concentrations were used, in most cases the high-elevation sites appeared to be receiving greater ozone exposure than the nearby, lower elevation sites. When adjusted ozone values were used, a consistent conclusion was not evident. On a regional basis for the period May through September 1987, when unadjusted concentrations were used, the high-elevation sites in the South appeared to experience higher cumulative ozone exposures than sites in the North. When adjusted ozone values were used, the geographic gradient was not strong. Assuming that target sensitivity remains nearly constant as elevation changes, adjusted concentrations should be taken into consideration when evaluating the relationship between ozone exposures at high-elevation sites and biological effects.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1990

Limited compensation of ozone stress by potassium in Norway spruce.

The effects of potassium fertilization and ozone stress were investigated in a clone of Picea abies (L.) Karst, by studies of the uptake of CO(2) by the crowns, the element content, on leaching of the youngest needles, and the longevity of the needles. All plants were exposed to 0.075 microl litre(-1) SO(2) from January to April 1986. The average ozone concentrations applied during the subsequent growing season (May-December) were 0, 0.027, 0.050 and 0.100 microl litre(-1). Half of the trees received liquid fertilizer applications from April to July 1986. CO(2) uptake by the crowns was significantly reduced in non-fertilized plants at ozone doses of 100-200 microl litre(-1) h, whereas similar reductions were recorded in fertilized plants only above an ozone dose of 300 microl litre(-1) h. Independent of the fertilization, however, the concentrations of calcium, magnesium and nitrogen in the needles increased in parallel with the ozone dose, whilst potassium, phosphorus and sulphur showed little response to ozone. In both nutrient regimes, the diffusive loss of elements from chloroform-washed needles was similar and tended to be reduced at the highest ozone concentration, when relating the leachate to the corresponding element content in the needles. Needles formed in the highest ozone treatment were significantly shed during the succeeding year, regardless of the nutrient supply. It appears that increased potassium supply has little compensating effect on ozone stress in spruce.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1990

Ozone episodes in Southern Lower Saxony (FRG) and their impact on the susceptibility of cereals to fungal pathogens.

Spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) plants were exposed to simulated ozone (O(3)) episodes (7 h day(-1) for 7 days) at maximum concentrations of 120, 180 and 240 microg m(-3) O(3), in comparison to a charcoal-filtered air control. Fumigations were conducted in four closed chambers placed in a climate room. Exposures took place prior to inoculation of the plants with six different facultative leaf pathogens. On wheat, significant enhancement of leaf attack by Septoria nodorum Berk. and S. tritici Rob. ex Desm. appeared, particularly on the older leaves and at the highest level of O(3). The same was true for Gerlachia nivalis W. Gams et E. Müll/Fusarium culmorum (W.F.Sm.) Sacc. on wheat and net blotch (Drechslera teres (Sacc.) Shoem.) or G. nivalis leaf spots on barley. Disease development was promoted both on leaves with and without visible injury following exposure to O(3). Sporulation of the two Septoria species increased at 120 and 180 microg m(-3) O(3); however, it was reduced to the level of the control, if 240 microg m(-3) were applied. No significant effects of predisposition were observed with Bipolaris sorokiniana (Sacc.) Shoem. (syn. Helminthosporium sativum Pamm., King et Bakke), the causal agent of spot blotch, neither on wheat nor on barley. Doses and peak concentrations applied in the experiments were in good agreement with measurements of ambient ozone in Southern Lower Saxony, FRG. Six years' ozone data (1984-1989) revealed the annual occurrence of between 3 and 11 ozone episodes with potentially harmful effects on cereals (three or more consecutive 'ozone days' with 8-h means above 80 microg m(-3)). The frequency of ozone episodes followed by weather periods favourable for infections by facultative pathogens was higher in years with low O(3) pollution than in ozone-rich years, and varied between one and five cases per season. The number of ozone days during the main growing season of cereals (1 April until 31 August) varied from 25 in 1984 to 98 in 1989. However, only 7.9% of ozone days during the 6 years examined were concurrent with weather conditions suitable for fungal infections. It is concluded that the majority of leaf infections in the field happens under low-level concentrations of photooxidants.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1995

Physiology, morphology, and ozone uptake of leaves of black cherry seedlings, saplings, and canopy trees.

Patterns of ozone uptake were related to physiological, morphological, and phenological characteristics of different-sized black cherry trees (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) at a site in central Pennsylvania. Calculated ozone uptake differed among open-grown seedlings, forest gap saplings, and canopy trees and between leaves in the upper and lower crown of saplings and canopy trees. On an instantaneous basis, seedling leaves had the greatest ozone uptake rates of all tree size classes due to greater stomatal conductance and higher concentrations of ozone in their local environment. A pattern of higher stomatal conductance of seedlings was consistent with higher incident photosynthetically-active radiation, stomatal density, and predawn xylem water potentials for seedlings relative to larger trees. However, seedlings displayed an indeterminate pattern of shoot growth, with the majority of their leaves produced after shoot growth had ceased for canopy and sapling trees. Full leaf expansion occurred by mid-June for sapling and canopy trees. Because many of their leaves were exposed to ozone for only part of the growing season, seedlings had a lower relative exposure over the course of the growing season, and subsequently lower cumulative uptake, of ozone than canopy trees and a level of uptake similar to upper canopy leaves of saplings. Visible injury symptoms were not always correlated with patterns in ozone uptake. Visible symptoms were more apparent on seedling leaves in concurrence with their high instantaneous uptake rates. However, visible injury was more prevalent on leaves in the lower versus upper crown of canopy trees and saplings, even though lower crown leaves had less ozone uptake. Lower crown leaves may be more sensitive to ozone per unit uptake than upper crown leaves because of their morphology. In addition, the lower net carbon uptake of lower crown leaves may limit repair and anti-oxidant defense processes.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1994

Growth and yield responses of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L. CV. Turbo) grown in open-top chambers to ozone and water stress.

Spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cv. Turbo was exposed to different levels of ozone and water supply in open-top chambers in 1991. The plants were grown either in charcoal filtered air (CF), not filtered air (NF), in charcoal filtered air with proportional addition of ambient ozone (CF1), or in charcoal filtered air with twice proportional addition of ambient ozone (CF2). The mean seasonal ozone concentrations (24 h mean) were 2.3, 20.6, 17.3, and 24.5 nl litre(-1) for CF, NF, CF1, and CF2 treatments, respectively. Ozone enhanced senescence and reduced growth and yield of the wheat plants. At final harvest, dry weight reductions were mainly due to reductions in ear weight. Grain yield loss by ozone mainly resulted from depressions of 1000 grain weight, whereas numbers of ears per plant and of grains per ear remained unchanged. Pollutants other than ozone did not alter the response to ozone, as was obvious from comparisons between CF1 and NF responses. Water stress alone did not enhance senescence, but also reduced growth and yield. However, yield loss mainly resulted from reductions in the number of ears per plant; 1000 grain weight was not influenced by water stress. No water supply by ozone treatment interactions were detected for any of the estimated parameters.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1994

Chronic ozone exposure alters the growth of leaves, stems and roots of hybrid Populus.

Rooted cuttings of hybrid Populus (DN34, Populus deltoides x nigra) were grown outdoors in pots in open-top chambers at Ithaca, NY (74.5 degrees W, 42.5 degrees N), during 1988 and 1989 (experiment 1) and during 1989 and 1990 (experiment 2). Ambient air was passed through charcoal filters to produce a 0.5 times ambient ozone treatment, and ozone generated from oxygen was added to produce one and two times ambient ozone treatments. In experiment 1, treatments were applied for 8-12 h each day for 112 days of the 1988 growing season, then the plants were grown outdoors with ambient ozone in 1989. In experiment 2, treatments were applied for 9 h each day for 98 days of the 1989 growing season, then the plants were grown outdoors with ambient ozone in 1990. Chronic exposure to ozone caused the following changes (statistically significant in one or both experiments at p<0.05): (1) earlier leaf abscission, (2) decreased stem basal diameter, (3) decreased stem mass, (4) decreased internode length, (5) decreased shoot height p=0.005, and (6) decreased leaf size in the growing season following ozone treatment. There was also strong evidence that ozone increased the number of leaves produced p=0.055. Finally, there was some evidence that ozone increased the ratio of shoot mass to root mass p=0.093.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1996

Growth and nutrition of Quercus rubra L. seedlings and mature trees after three seasons of ozone exposure.

Seedling growth and nutritional status have been shown to be sensitive to ozone, but the influence of multi-season ozone exposure on mature tree growth and nutrition has not been examined. To determine if seedlings and mature trees were similarly affected by ozone exposure, growth and nutrient concentrations in northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) 4-year-old seedlings and 32-year-old mature trees were examined after treatment with subambient, ambient and twice ambient concentrations of ozone for three growing seasons. SUM00 values summed over the three growing seasons were 147, 255 and 507 ppm-h, respectively, for the subambient, ambient and twice ambient exposures. For mature trees, no influence of ozone treatment on lower stem diameter growth, stem growth within the mid-canopy and foliar biomass was observed. Seedling height was increased by ozone, but biomass and diameter were unaffected. A reduction in the specific leaf weight of leaves in response to ozone coincident with the loss of recurrent flushing was observed in seedlings. Ozone exposure reduced foliar nitrogen concentrations and increased woody tissue nutrient concentrations in seedlings and mature trees at the end of the third growing season. These results suggest an influence of ozone on retranslocation processes in seedlings and mature trees.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1995

Acceleration of 13C-labelled photosynthate partitioning from leaves to panicles in rice plants exposed to chronic ozone at the reproductive stage.

To investigate the effects of low (0.05 micromol/mol) and relatively low (0.10 micromol/mol) concentrations of ozone on photoassimilate partitioning, rice plants grown in a water culture were fed with (13)C-labelled carbon dioxide at the reproductive stage in an assimilation chamber with constant concentration of (12)CO(2) and (13)CO(2). Rice plants were exposed to ozone 4 weeks before and 3 weeks after (13)CO(2) feeding. The dry weight of whole plants decreased with increasing ozone concentration, whereas net photosynthetic rate (apparent CO(2) uptake per unit leaf area) was unaffected, compared with the control, at the time of (13)CO(2) feeding. Dry matter distribution into leaf sheaths and culms was reduced more than that into leaf blades by ozone exposure. Although panicle dry weight per plant was reduced by ozone, the percentage of panicle dry weight to the whole plant tended to increase considerably. Exposure to ozone accelerated translocation of (13)C from source leaves to other plant parts. Partitioning of (13)C to panicles and roots was higher under ozone treatment than in the control. Respiratory losses of fixed (13)C from plants tended to decrease under treatment with ozone. The increase in photoassimilate partitioning in panicles can be considered to be an acclimation response of rice plants to complete reproductive stage under the restricted biomass production caused by ozone.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1996

Additive and antagonistic effects of ozone and salinity on the growth, ion contents and gas exchange of five varieties of rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Five varieties of rice (Oryza sativa L.) of varying salinity resistance were grown in non-saline and in saline conditions, with and without a repeated exposure to ozone at a concentration of 83 nmol mol(-1) giving an AOT40 (cumulative exposure above 40 nmol mol(-1)) of 3600 nmol mol(-1) h. Salinity caused a substantial reduction in shoot and root dry weight in all varieties, but the effect on root growth was proportionately less than on shoot growth. Ozone reduced root dry weight but the treatment used did not significantly affect shoot dry weight. Both salinity and ozone reduced plant height. The potassium concentration in the leaves of all five varieties was reduced by salinity, and by ozone in both saline and non-saline treatments. Ozone reduced the sodium concentration in plants grown at 50 mM NaCl but had no effect upon the chloride concentration. Carbon dioxide assimilation, transpiration and stomatal conductance were all reduced by salinity and by ozone and there was close quantitative similarity between the effects of ozone and/or salinity upon assimilation, stomatal conductance and transpiration. There were some antagonistic effects but there were additive effects of salinity and of ozone on root dry weight, plant height, shoot potassium concentration, photosynthesis, transpiration and stomatal conductance. The possible basis of the additive effects of salinity and ozone on gas exchange and mineral uptake are discussed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Modelling stomatal ozone flux across Europe.

A model has been developed to estimate stomatal ozone flux across Europe for a number of important species. An initial application of this model is illustrated for two species, wheat and beech. The model calculates ozone flux using European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) model ozone concentrations in combination with estimates of the atmospheric, boundary layer and stomatal resistances to ozone transfer. The model simulates the effect of phenology, irradiance, temperature, vapour pressure deficit and soil moisture deficit on stomatal conductance. These species-specific microclimatic parameters are derived from meteorological data provided by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute (DNMI), together with detailed land-use and soil type maps assembled at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). Modelled fluxes are presented as mean monthly flux maps and compared with maps describing equivalent values of AOT40 (accumulated exposure over threshold of 40 ppb or nl l(-1)), highlighting the spatial differences between these two indices. In many cases high ozone fluxes were modelled in association with only moderate AOT40 values. The factors most important in limiting ozone uptake under the model assumptions were vapour pressure deficit (VPD), soil moisture deficit (for Mediterranean regions in particular) and phenology. The limiting effect of VPD on ozone uptake was especially apparent, since high VPDs resulting in stomatal closure tended to co-occur with high ozone concentrations. Although further work is needed to link the ozone uptake and deposition model components, and to validate the model with field measurements, the present results give a clear indication of the possible implications of adopting a flux-based approach for future policy evaluation.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Effects of ozone exposure in open-top chambers on poplar (Populus nigra) and beech (Fagus sylvatica): a comparison.

Rooted cuttings of poplar (Populus nigra) and seedlings of beech (Fagus sylvatica) were exposed to ozone in open-top chambers for one growing season. Three treatments were applied: charcoal-filtered (CF), non-filtered (NF) and non-filtered air plus 30 ppb (nl l(-1)) ozone (NF+). Extra ozone was only added on clear days, from 09:00 until 17:00-20:00. The AOT40s (accumulated exposure over a threshold of 40 ppb), calculated from April to September were 4055 ppb.h for the NF and 8880 ppb.h for the NF+ treatments. For poplar ozone exposure caused highly significant reductions in growth rate, light-saturated net CO(2) assimilation rate, stomatal conductance, F(v)/F(m) and chlorophyll content. The largest effects were observed in August at which time ozone concentrations were elevated. A reduction was noticed in new leaf production, while accelerated ageing and visible damage to leaves caused high leaf losses. For beech the responses were similar but less pronounced: ozone exposure resulted in non-significant growth reductions, slight changes in light-saturated photosynthesis and accelerated leaf abscission. The chlorophyll content of beech leaves was not affected by the ozone treatments. The results confirmed previous observations that fast-growing tree species, such as most poplar species and hybrids, are more sensitive and responsive to tropospheric ozone than slower-growing species, such as beech. The growth reductions observed and reported here for beech were within the range of those reported in relationship to the AOT40 (accumulated exposure over a threshold of 40 ppb) critical level for ozone.

Journal Article↗