Ozone in the Upper Silesia region -- concentration and effects on plants

Abstract

In the Beskidy Mountains at Brenna, Poland, and several other locations in the Katowice administrative district, plants were used as bioindicators to determine ozone concentration measurements in 1994 and 1995. Results showed that ozone is the only gaseous air pollutant significantly exceeding the permissible concentrations and causing foliar injury to both test and some native plant species. For all of the tests using plants, the most severe ozone injuries, were found for the Brenna location. The first signs of leaf injury were found on beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) Bel W3 also showed leaf injury at this time. Less sensitive plants included the tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum) and soy bean (Glycina max). More severe injuries to the same plant species (cultivars) were not found with increased elevation. In the Brenna region only, foliar injury was also found on field-grown plant species: Achillea sp., Asceplias syriaca L., Impatiens parviflora DC., Sambucus nigra L., S. racemosa L., Fagus silvatica L., Prunus avium L., and Rubus sp. The mean ozone concentrations at Brenna were 85.2 and 77.4 μg/m³ in the summers of 1994 and 1995, respectively. For the locations in the Katowice area, mean concentrations were 50.3 and 44.5 μg/m³. AOT40 calculated on a 24- hour or day-hours (9.00 - 17.00) basis exceeded the critical values of 5,300 ppb.h and 1 ppm.h recommended by the United Nations ECE for crops and forest tree species. Thus, on the basis of these results ozone is a contributing factor to poor forest health conditions in the Upper Silesia Region of Poland.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings of the International Symposium on Air Pollution and Climate Change Effects on Forest Ecosystems

Citation

Godzik, Stefan. 1998. Ozone in the Upper Silesia region -- concentration and effects on plants. In: Bytnerowicz, Andrzej; Arbaugh, Michael J.; Schilling, Susan L., tech. coords. Proceedings of the international symposium on air pollution and climate change effects on forest ecosystems. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-166. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station: 59-64