Impact of Ground-Level Ozone

on the Florida Everglades

Team Lead: Allison Belle, Alexandra Bigger, Katherine Graf, Pedro PalominoPresented April 12th, 2010

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The Everglades

Originally, covered approximately 4000 mi2

In 1947, the area was drained with 1400 mi of canals to make room for agricultural and urban development

Only 50% remainsDecline in water quality due to loss

of wetlands that act as filter for polluted waters

Problems: decreased bird populations, hypersalinity and water level drops

Introduction: The Everglades

Focus on aqueous phosphorous removal and creating new wetlands

Ground-level ozone is most important plant-toxic air pollutant

Plants in wetland climate are at greater risk to adverse ozone concentrations

Environmental degradation will lead to decreased tourism and fishing, causing an adverse impact on the local economy

In the US, O3 is responsible for an estimated $500 million in reduced crop production each year

Comprehensive Everglades

Restoration Project

Ozone Formation

Ozone not emitted, but formedTropospheric ozone formation

occurs when precursors, like nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds react in the atmosphere photochemically

Where do the precursors come from?Motor vehicle and fossil fuel

combustionIndustrial emissionsChemical SolventsBiogenic VOCs

Formation…

Precursors often originate in urban areas, but winds can carry them hundreds of kilometers, causing ozone formation to occur in less populated regions as well.

OH + CO → H + CO2

H + O2 → HO2

HO2 + NO → OH + NO2

NO2 + hν → NO + O

O + O2 → O3

Importance

Ozone is powerful oxidizer… It ATTACKS!!! Damaging materials, human health and plants,

especially the Everglades and its sensitive species

Ozone

Monitoring Objectives of NPS

Provide data to help scientists

Collect air quality data

Identify air quality trends Assist modeling efforts,

regional pollution and transportation studies, State Implementation Plan development and national air quality control strategies

Provide timely NPS air quality information to the public and researchers.

NPS Monitoring Sites

Monitoring

Gaseous Pollutant Monitoring Program (GPMP)

Jointly operated with the EPA through CASTNet

Ozone and sulfur dioxide monitoring studies in national parks have been ongoing since the early 1980s

Most NPS ozone monitoring locations are operated by the NPS in parks identified as mandatory Class I areas.

Related NPS ozone monitoring includes special studies programs using passive samplers, portable O3 monitors and enhances multi-pollutant analyzers

How is Ozone Monitored?

Within the National Parks System:Air Atlas

GIS database of air quality estimates for 270 parks that are part of the NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program. These estimates can be used when on-site monitoring data is not available.Ozone Monitoring

Ozone has been continuously monitored at Everglades NP since 1986.

Portable Ambient Ozone Monitor

Monitoring Procedure

UV–absorption analyzer, a transfer standard, a weather station including wind speed, wind direction, temperature at two heights, solar radiation, relative humidity, and a wetness sensor.

Additionally stacked filter-pack

Park staff operate the stations

Contractor maintains and calibrates the network equipment

Data are transmitted nightly, validated, and archived. Hourly data files are transferred to the EPA Air Quality Systems database and are available on the web.

Data Type Details Access Data

Metadata what, where, and when monitors have operated in national parks Monitoring History Database

NPS Gaseous Pollutant & Meteorologyozone and sulfur dioxide (for a limited number of parks) hourly concentrations; wind speed and direction, temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, solar radiation, and wetness at NPS sites

Interactive Data Query– includes summary tables and plots

CASTNET dataozone hourly concentrations, meteorology, and filter-pack data at all CASTNet sites

CASTNet website

Real-time Scenic and Air Quality Conditionscurrent on-line scenic views, ozone, PM2.5, and/or meteorological data

Web Cameras

Current Ozone & Weather Datacurrent 1-hour average ozone concentration, wind speed and direction, temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, and rainfall for NPS sites (available May - September only)

Current Ozone & Weather Data

Health Advisories

current health advisories, available May - September Health Advisories

ozone health advisory summariesOzone Health Advisory Summaries

Ozone Standard Exceedancespark list of ozone standard exceedances by month and year (2000 - present)

Ozone Standard Exceedances

Current Map of Ozone Datamap of current ozone data at NPS sites (available May -September only)

EPA AIRNow - Air Quality Index

Criteria Pollutants & Meteorology ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, lead, PM10, PM2.5, and meteorology annual summaries

EPA Annual Summary Tables

Symptoms: tissue collapse, interveinalnecrosis, markings on the upper surface of leaves

Concentration of tropospheric ozone in rural areas is higher compared to urban areas, posing a phytotoxic risk to crop and natural vegetation

Uptake of ozone is coupled with the gas exchange of a plant

Readily transpiring plants grown under moist soil conditions are more susceptible to ozone than plants grown under a slight drought stress

Environmental Effects: Ozone

Effects on Plants

Chlorotic Mottling

Healthy

Plant growth is often stunted, flowering and bud formation is depressedOzone has been shown to reduce growth

and development of some coniferous tree species.

Plants showed premature senescence Premature senescence causes shortening

the vegetative phase and reducing the general vitality of the plantOzone usually attacks nearly mature leaves

first; progressing to younger and older leavesThere is a diverse reaction pattern of wet

grassland species to ozone

Environmental Effects: Growth

Responses

It has been observed that needles from native slash pine trees at Everglade National Park show chlorotic mottle, similar to that exhibited by many conifers, and that such injury was generally related to a higher percentage of cell necrosis compared with needles without symptoms

Ozone experiments on slash pine seedlings concluded that exposure to chronic levels of ozone resulted in growth reductions (measured in such parameters as stem diameter, height, and biomass)

Environmental Effects:

Everglades Example

New EPA Regulations

In January, EPA proposed to reduce the primary standard to between 0.060 and 0.070 ppm

Also, to establish a seasonal “secondary” standard (7-15 ppm-hour) to protect sensitive vegetation and ecosystems

Once non-attainment designations take effect, the state government has three years to develop implementation plans outlining how areas will attain and maintain the standards by reducing air pollutant emissions contributing to O3 concentrations.

Primary Standards

Level Averaging Times

0.075 ppm (2008) 8-hour

0.08 ppm (1997) 8-hour

0.12 ppm 1-hour

Florida State Implementation Plan

Clean Air Act goes into effect prior to the submission of the state plan in December 2013.

Requires new source review and transportation conformity in non-attainment areas

Current state regulations to reduce precursor pollutant emissions Clean Air Interstate Rule will greatly reduce

nitrogen oxides (NOx) from power plants. EPA emission control rules for new

automobiles will reduce Nox emissions over the next several years

Control of gasoline vapor emissions, like VOCs, from gas stations beginning in 2010.

Non-attainment counties

Biogenic Emissions

Derived from natural sourcesMust be accounted for in photochemical grid models, as most are

widespread and ubiquitous contributors to background air chemistry

NOx Control

Currently, being installed at all major coal-fired power plants in the state and is will be operating in spring of 2010.

Typically computed using a model which utilizes spatial information on vegetations, land use, environmental conditions, temperature and solar radiation

NOx Control Device

VOC Abatement Approach

System design and the choice of control technologies require consideration of many factors:

Regulatory agency preferences and biases

Physical and operational constraints of the plant

Comparative capital and operating costs of the abatement system

Generation of secondary pollutants during the process of controlling the VOCs

Ease of operation and maintenance

Capabilities and responsiveness of the vendor

VOC Control Devices

Adsorption using carbon or other materials

Biofiltration

Condensation

Thermal oxidation

Ultraviolet light oxidation

Wet scrubbing

Various combinations of the above, including concentrators

Example of VOC control devices

Summary

The Everglades is a rich, biodiverse and historic ecosystem that is unique to the world and is extremely important to Florida

Due to over development and pollution, the Everglades is in peril

Recently, legislation has been pushed to restore the Everglades, but its focus is on water resources

Tropospheric ozone is very harmful to natural and agricultural plants

The extent of the damage is not well understood

Monitoring and control techniques exist

Current regulations are beginning to force the implementation O3 control

Future Work

Most research has been conducted on plant and tree species of commercial valuesLittle is known about the impacts of ozone on biodiversity and

ecosystemsIn rapidly developing areas, O3 concentrations are expected to

increase

The Comprensive Everglades Restoration Plan, a nearly $10 billion collection of projects, focuses exclusively on water resourcesNew research has shown that tropospheric ozone has very harmful effects on plantsThe rich biodiversity and location of the Everglades makes it very susceptible air pollutionApart from the environmental effects, the damage will have adverse effects on the local economy, due to decreased commercial fishing, agricultural production and tourism

Conclusions

1) List three VOC control devices. Biofiltration Condensation Thermal oxidation Ultraviolet light oxidation Wet scrubbing

2) List three effects of tropospheric ozone on plants. Tissue collapse, Interveinal necrosis, Markings on

upper surface of leaves Reduced growth and development Depressed flowering and bud formation Premature senescence

Practice Quiz Questions

Go Gators!!!