Air Pollution Impacts to Terrestrial Ecosystems

Catalog description

This course introduces student to air pollutant sources, transport, meteorology, and temporal and spatial trends of pollution dispersion and deposition. An overview is presented of the direct and indirect effects of air pollutants on terrestrial ecosystems with an emphasis on plant life. The effects of ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, halogens, and combined pollutants leading to acidic atmospheric depositions are presented. Emphasis is placed on air pollutants as plant pathogens leading to symptoms and eventual long-term accumulative effects to entire ecosystems. Methods of diagnostics, factors affecting plant response, ecosystem decline and resiliency, pest interactions, assessment of loss and cost/benefit analysis leading to abatement follows. Final parts of the course include perspectives of public awareness, development of National Ambient Air Quality Standards, compliance prevention of significant deterioration, and the Clean Air Act reforms of 1990.