Abstract
The area of deterioration in white birch stands adjacent to the Bay of Fundy overlaps with the area intercepting the often acidic “Fundy Fog” (mean pH 3.6 April to October). The fogs deposit substantial, and previously undetected, amounts of acidity (0.1 – 0.5 keq ha−1) which rival and may exceed the input by rain to the stands. Preliminary data (1987) suggest a relationship between fog acidity, nitrate levels (P<0.01 and P<0.05 respectively), and foliar browning occurring at each site. Acidity tends to increase inland, which may indicate rapid conversion of dissolved SO2 in fog droplets to SO4. The relationship with O2 was not significant at the 0.05 level. Browning is more extensive on older leaves, suggesting cumulative damage and increasing susceptibility to secondary attack by leaf spot fungus. Although the direct effect of ozone on browning is unresolved, its role in controlling fog chemistry warrants further investigation.
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Cox, R.M., Spavold-Tims, J. & Hughes, R.N. Acid fog and ozone: Their possible role in birch deterioration around the Bay of Fundy, Canada. Water Air Soil Pollut 48, 263–276 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00282383
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00282383