Monitoring Forest Health and Productivity in Response to Ground-Level (Tropospheric) Ozone Exposure.
Primary Question: Is the vitality and productivity of P. strobus (white pine, a sensitive bioindicator for ground-level ozone) being compromised by statistically significant levels of Tropospheric ozone?
Approach: Analysis of Red Edge Inflection Point (REIP) values in White pine needles to determine ozone damage.
Ground level ozone enters the stomates of P.strobus needles and degrades chloroplast membranes thus reducing overall photosynthesis. During photosynthesis red-spectrum light is absorbed into the chloroplast membrane (calculated as REIP). As such, there is a statistically significant inverse correlation between tropospheric ozone concentrations and REIP values. We will be monitoring REIP values above 3000 ft (where Tropospheric ozone is at its greatest %) and at lower elevations to determine overall health and viability of P.strobus.
