Ozone exposures near class I Wilderness areas in New Hampshire and Vermont

• Published in: Atmospheric environment (1994) Vol. 29; no. 5; pp. 601 - 606
• Main Authors: Lefohn, Allen S., Manning, William J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 1995; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Atmospheric pollution; Dispersed sources and other; Exact sciences and technology; Pollution; Pollution sources. Measurement results; United States; North America; America; USA, New Hampshire; USA, Vermont; Mt. Equinox, Vermont; Mt. Washington, New Hampshire; Class 1; Ozone exposure; SUM60; W126; wilderness areas; Content; Vegetation; Check; Ozone; Wild plant; Air pollution; Exposure; Diurnal variation
• ISSN: 1352-2310; 1873-2844
• DOI: 10.1016/1352-2310(94)00280-X

Ozone (0 3) is known to cause characteristic injury symptoms on a wide variety of plant species. In response to concern by Federal land managers, a comprehensive program was initiated in 1988 to assess the effects of 03 on vegetation in two Class I Wilderness areas in northcentral New Hampshire and one Class I Wilderness area in southern Vermont. To better quantify the possible risk associated with 0 3 exposures affecting vegetation in these Wilderness areas, hourly average 0 3 concentration data were characterized, using biologically based exposure indicators for a site located at Mt. Equinox, Vermont (549 m) and a site at Mt. Washington, New Hampshire (457 m). Mt. Equinox experienced more of a flat diurnal pattern than the Mt. Washington site. The higher amplitude for the Mt. Equinox diurnal patterns in comparison to the Mt. Washington site was indicative of the occurrence of higher hourly average concentrations, as well as the infrequent occurrence of hourly average concentrations below 20 ppb. The Mt. Equinox site experienced more occurrences of hourly average concentrations ⩾ 80 and 100 ppb than the Mt. Washington site. Similarly, the SUM60 and W126 integrated exposure values for Mt. Equinox were greater than the values experienced at Mt. Washington. The lower-elevation Mt. Washington site experienced a greater percentage of its 0 3 exposure during the daylight hours (0700–1859h) than the Mt. Equinox site.