Ebook: Oxidant Air Pollution Impacts in the Montane Forests of Southern California: A Case Study of the San Bernardino Mountains

Since the 1950s, the pines native to the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California have shown symptoms of decline that have proven to result from exposure to ozone, a major plant-damaging gas in photochemical oxidant air pollution. Because of their proximity to major urban areas, the San Bernardino Mountains have served as a natural laboratory for studying effects of oxidant and acidic air pollution on a mixed-conifer forest. This volume presents a body of research conducted over more than thirty years, including an intensive interdisciplinary five-year study begun in 1991. Chapters include studies of the relationships of biogeography and climate to the region's air pollution, the chemical and physiological mechanisms of ozone injury, as well as the impacts of nitrogen-containing pollutants and natural stresses on polluted forests. The synthesis of such long-term studies provides insights into the combined influences of pollutants on ecosystem function in forested regions with Mediterranean-type climates.

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Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xvii
Introduction....Pages 1-3
Front Matter....Pages 5-5
Geography, Geology, Geomorphology, and Forest Soils....Pages 7-27
Climatology....Pages 28-43
Vegetation, Fire Regimes, and Forest Dynamics....Pages 44-78
Front Matter....Pages 79-79
Ambient Air Quality at Barton Flats and Other California Forests....Pages 81-105
Visibility Impairment in the San Bernardino Mountains....Pages 106-125
Physiological Responses of Ponderosa Pine to Gradients of Environmental Stressors....Pages 126-163
Temporal Changes in Crown Condition Indices, Needle Litterfall, and Collateral Needle Injuries of Ponderosa and Jeffrey Pines....Pages 164-178
Air Pollution Effects on Growth of Ponderosa Pine, Jeffrey Pine, and Bigcone Douglas-Fir....Pages 179-207
Effects of Ozone on Understory Vegetation in the Mixed Conifer Forest....Pages 208-222
Epiphytic Lichens in the San Bernardino Mountains in Relation to Oxidant Gradients....Pages 223-234
Wet and Dry Pollutant Deposition to the Mixed Conifer Forest....Pages 235-269
Direct Effects of Nitric Acid on Forest Trees....Pages 270-287
Nitrogen Deposition and Cycling in Mediterranean Forests: The New Paradigm of Nitrogen Excess....Pages 288-314
Front Matter....Pages 315-315
Insects and Pathogens in a Pollution-Stressed Forest....Pages 317-337
Impact of Oxidant Air Pollutants on Forest Succession in the Mixed Conifer Forests of the San Bernardino Mountains....Pages 338-352
Simulated Effects of N Deposition, Ozone Injury, and Climate Change on a Forest Stand in the San Bernardino Mountains....Pages 353-372
Human Aspects of Air Quality in the San Bernardino Mountains....Pages 373-393
Front Matter....Pages 395-395
Assessment of Ecological Risks and Implications for Policy and Management in the San Bernardino Mountains....Pages 397-404
Implications of Chronic Air Pollution in the San Bernardino Mountains for Forest Management and Future Research....Pages 405-416
Back Matter....Pages 417-424

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Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xvii
Introduction....Pages 1-3
Front Matter....Pages 5-5
Geography, Geology, Geomorphology, and Forest Soils....Pages 7-27
Climatology....Pages 28-43
Vegetation, Fire Regimes, and Forest Dynamics....Pages 44-78
Front Matter....Pages 79-79
Ambient Air Quality at Barton Flats and Other California Forests....Pages 81-105
Visibility Impairment in the San Bernardino Mountains....Pages 106-125
Physiological Responses of Ponderosa Pine to Gradients of Environmental Stressors....Pages 126-163
Temporal Changes in Crown Condition Indices, Needle Litterfall, and Collateral Needle Injuries of Ponderosa and Jeffrey Pines....Pages 164-178
Air Pollution Effects on Growth of Ponderosa Pine, Jeffrey Pine, and Bigcone Douglas-Fir....Pages 179-207
Effects of Ozone on Understory Vegetation in the Mixed Conifer Forest....Pages 208-222
Epiphytic Lichens in the San Bernardino Mountains in Relation to Oxidant Gradients....Pages 223-234
Wet and Dry Pollutant Deposition to the Mixed Conifer Forest....Pages 235-269
Direct Effects of Nitric Acid on Forest Trees....Pages 270-287
Nitrogen Deposition and Cycling in Mediterranean Forests: The New Paradigm of Nitrogen Excess....Pages 288-314
Front Matter....Pages 315-315
Insects and Pathogens in a Pollution-Stressed Forest....Pages 317-337
Impact of Oxidant Air Pollutants on Forest Succession in the Mixed Conifer Forests of the San Bernardino Mountains....Pages 338-352
Simulated Effects of N Deposition, Ozone Injury, and Climate Change on a Forest Stand in the San Bernardino Mountains....Pages 353-372
Human Aspects of Air Quality in the San Bernardino Mountains....Pages 373-393
Front Matter....Pages 395-395
Assessment of Ecological Risks and Implications for Policy and Management in the San Bernardino Mountains....Pages 397-404
Implications of Chronic Air Pollution in the San Bernardino Mountains for Forest Management and Future Research....Pages 405-416
Back Matter....Pages 417-424
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