Nitrogen Oxides under the Urban Forest Crown Cover: Migration, Transformation, Real and Possible Environmental Consequences

Abstract

Has been presented the authors’ development demonstrating the possibility for determining the atmospheric air pollution in urban forest’s various areas by «passive» dosimetry’s methods. On the example of nitrogen oxides have been analyzed causes and consequences for technogenic pollution of forest ecosystems in urbanized areas. The study conducted on the territory of the Kuntsevskaya dacha’s spruce forest which is the part of the natural reserve «The Setun River’s Valley» (Moscow) has shown that in certain areas within a forest range, nitrogen dioxide accumulation in the air-ground interface can occur. Have been revealed the signs of increased nitrogen status for the investigated forest ecosystem.

Effect of atmospheric emissions on ecological and physiological parameters of plants

“…Therefore, the protection of nature at the present stage should be considered not so much as the preservation of individual organisms and communities, but mainly as the preservation of the natural processes of maintaining and regulating the cycle of substances and energy in the biosphere, which ensure the continuation of life on earth. Since vegetation (producers) is at the origin of all biogeochemical, ecological and energy processes in the biosphere, it is one of the most important components determining the well-being of the biosphere and life on earth [1,2,4,5,7,10].…”

“…It is shown that at the exposure of 0.014 mln -1 peroxyacetyl nitrates for four hours the leaves are damaged, 1 mln -1 peroxyacetyl nitrates for half an hour destroys chloroplasts. It is believed that the toxicity of peroxyacetyl nitrates is related to its ability to react with thiol groups (-SH), which are part of enzymes ensuring the action of chloroplasts [1][2][3][4][5]10].…”

“…It was that with the joint presence of sulfur oxide and ozone, the effect of ozone increases, the same symptoms appear for ozone but at a lower concentration. Synergism is also observed for the mixture of SO2 and NO2 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]10].…”