Atmospheric ozone: Formation and effects on vegetation

Although a great deal of attention has been given to the role of water vapor from supersonic transport (SST) exhaust in the stratosphere, oxides of nitrogen from SST exhaust pose a much greater threat to the ozone shield than does an increase in water. The projected increase in stratospheric oxides of nitrogen could reduce the ozone shield by about a factor of 2, thus permitting the harsh radiation below 300 nanometers to permeate the lower atmosphere.

Published information about the effects of ozone on plants and ecosystems is synthesized into a conceptual model to explain the response of evergreen conifers, deciduous hardwoods and agricultural crops to ambient levels of ozone pollution. The effects of ozone on carbon balance and growth of individual plants can be quantified on the basis of concentration, external dose (concentration x duration of exposure), or uptake. For an equivalent dose within a single growing season, agricultural crops are the most sensitive to ozone, with hardwoods intermediate and conifers least sensitive. In contrast, all species display a similar decline in photosynthesis and growth in response to equivalent total uptake or uptake per leaf life span, with trees somewhat less sensitive than agricultural crops on a calendar time scale, but slightly more sensitive on a relative (leaf life span) time scale. Among species, differences in ozone uptake and response can be predicted from differences in the inherent leaf diffusive conductance.