Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Boxes
- Preface
- Prologue Environmental changes and ecosystem effects: two historical examples
- Section I History and concepts
- Section II Ecosystem structure and function
- Section III Ecosystem dynamics at different time scales
- Section IV Applications
- Chapter 14 Air pollution and forest ecosystems
- Chapter 15 Global change
- Epilogue Society and terrestrial ecosystem ecology
- Appendix 1 Abbreviations
- Appendix 2 Glossary
- Appendix 3 Some useful values and symbols used to represent them
- Appendix 4 Information and data on selected ecosystems
- References
- Index
- Plate section
- References
Chapter 14 - Air pollution and forest ecosystems
from Section IV - Applications
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Boxes
- Preface
- Prologue Environmental changes and ecosystem effects: two historical examples
- Section I History and concepts
- Section II Ecosystem structure and function
- Section III Ecosystem dynamics at different time scales
- Section IV Applications
- Chapter 14 Air pollution and forest ecosystems
- Chapter 15 Global change
- Epilogue Society and terrestrial ecosystem ecology
- Appendix 1 Abbreviations
- Appendix 2 Glossary
- Appendix 3 Some useful values and symbols used to represent them
- Appendix 4 Information and data on selected ecosystems
- References
- Index
- Plate section
- References
Summary
Air pollution in the form of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and ozone affects ecosystems, both vegetation and soil. The immediate effects are physiological damage to vegetation and soil organisms, whereas long-term effects occur through changes in soil chemistry, in particular the loss of base cations. To identify the limits to which ecosystems can support the impacts of air pollutants, the concepts of critical levels and critical loads have been developed.
Today's awareness of air pollution and its effects follows observations in early industrialisation when, for example, roasting of iron ore containing sulfur resulted in drastic effects on the surroundings, with the death of vegetation. Our modern society, with combustion of fossil fuels containing sulfur and nitrogen at levels not compatible with a clean environment, has then delivered further unpleasant surprises, e.g. ‘dead’ lakes and now also a changing climate. This chapter deals with the effects of air pollution on forests – an area which has been the focus of research for a long time at the home institute of the authors.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Terrestrial Ecosystem EcologyPrinciples and Applications, pp. 246 - 263Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011