European standards for the protection of forests from ozone (O3) are based on atmospheric exposure (AOT40) that is not always representative of O3 effects since it is not a proxy of gas uptake ...through stomata (stomatal flux). MOTTLES “MOnitoring ozone injury for seTTing new critical LEvelS” is a LIFE project aimed at establishing a permanent network of forest sites based on active O3 monitoring at remote areas at high and medium risk of O3 injury, in order to define new standards based on stomatal flux, i.e. PODY (Phytotoxic Ozone Dose above a threshold Y of uptake). Based on the first year of data collected at MOTTLES sites, we describe the MOTTLES monitoring station, together with protocols and metric calculation methods. AOT40 and PODY, computed with different methods, are then compared and correlated with forest–health indicators (radial growth, crown defoliation, visible foliar O3 injury). For the year 2017, the average AOT40 calculated according to the European Directive was even 5 times (on average 1.7 times) the European legislative standard for the protection of forests. When the metrics were calculated according to the European protocols (EU Directive 2008/50/EC or Modelling and Mapping Manual LTRAP Convention), the values were well correlated to those obtained on the basis of the real duration of the growing season (i.e. MOTTLES method) and were thus representative of the actual exposure/flux. AOT40 showed opposite direction relative to PODY. Visible foliar O3 injury appeared as the best forest–health indicator for O3 under field conditions and was more frequently detected at forest edge than inside the forest. The present work may help the set–up of further long–term forest monitoring sites dedicated to O3 assessment in forests, especially because flux-based assessments are recommended as part of monitoring air pollution impacts on ecosystems in the revised EU National Emissions Ceilings Directive.
•The MOTTLES network for active O3 monitoring in forests is described.•In 2017, AOT40 exceeded twice the limit of the European Directive for forests.•O3 metrics from European protocols were representative of actual exposure/fluxes.•AOT40 and PODy were inversely correlated.•Visible foliar injury was the best forest–health indicator for O3.
Defoliation is the main parameter for assessing tree crown conditions, and is the result of cumulative interactions among different types of stressors, including climate, air pollution, pests and ...diseases, and management systems. Here, we evaluated a long-term data series (1992-2013) provided by the ICP-Forests Level I monitoring network (16 × 16 km) in Romania. Specifically, we investigated how climate influences defoliation at different spatial and temporal levels using statistical analyses. Using periodic climatic data (mean temperature and precipitation) derived from a daily grid dataset (ROCADA) with a resolution of 0.1 × 0.1° (10 × 10 km), we quantified how climatic parameters were correlated with defoliation, which was expressed as the mean tree defoliation per plot (DEF), and the proportion of damaged trees (crown defoliation > 25% - fDEF). The cross-correlation (Spearman r) between defoliation indicators and temperature was positive and relatively constant over time for all broadleaves and conifers, combined and separately, except for Fagus sylvatica (European beech), which had a negative cross-correlation coefficient. The correlation obtained for precipitation was similar to that obtained for temperature; however, this relationship was negative (except, again, for beech). The temporal influence of temperature on defoliation was much lower than that of precipitation, which had the greatest influence in dry regions (south and southeast Romania), especially for Quercus species. Furthermore, precipitation had a positive influence in moderate climate regions for conifers that were situated outside their natural distribution ranges. For beech and conifers situated at the upper altitudinal limits, temperature was negatively correlated with defoliation, i.e., temperature had a positive influence on health status.
Ambient ozone (O
3) concentrations in the forested areas of the Central and Eastern European (CEE) mountains measured on passive sampler networks and in several locations equipped with active ...monitors are reviewed. Some areas of the Carpathian Mountains, especially in Romania and parts of Poland, as well as the Sumava and Brdy Mountains in the Czech Republic are characterized by low European background concentrations of the pollutant (summer season means ∼30 ppb). Other parts of the Carpathians, especially the western part of the range (Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland), some of the Eastern (Ukraine) and Southern (Romania) Carpathians and the Jizerske Mountains have high O
3 levels with peak values >100 ppb and seasonal means ∼50 ppb. Large portions of the CEE mountain forests experience O
3 exposures that are above levels recommended for protection of forest and natural vegetation. Continuation of monitoring efforts with a combination of active monitors and passive samplers is needed for developing risk assessment scenarios for forests and other natural areas of the CEE Region.
Ozone concentrations in Central and Eastern European mountain ranges are elevated and phytotoxic to sensitive vegetation.
Nowadays, urinary bladder cancer represents a major health problem, due to very high medical and social costs. This disease affects mainly the elderly. We performed a study on 1073 patients admitted ...to the Urology Clinic within the Emergency Clinical Hospital of Craiova, between 2013-2015 with bladder cancer. Of the 1073 cases, 741(69.06%) were diagnosed in men, and 332 (30.94%) were found in women, the men/ women ratio being of 2.23/1. The highest incidence of bladder tumors was recorded in individuals aged between 60 and 79 years old. In this age group, there were admitted 734 patients with bladder cancer, representing 68.44%. Regarding the tumor recurrence, out of 1073 bladder tumors, a number of 608 (56.66%) patients were diagnosed with primary tumors, while a number of 465 (43.34%) patients presented recurrent tumors. Of the symptoms presented by the patients, the most frequent were haematuria (present in about 87% of the patients), pollakiuria (present in 64% of the patients), dysuria (present in 55% of the patients) and urinary infections (present in about 23% of the patients).
The main objective of our study was modelling intra-annual dynamics of basal area increment (BAI) in four level II plots in Romania, composed of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.), sessile oak (Q. ...petraea (Matt.) Liebl.), Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), which are placed in representative forest ecosystems, as well as in climatic and altitudinal conditions. Between 2010 and 2014, for a number of 60 trees (15 for each plot and species), the growth variations of the selected trees were recorded bimonthly using permanent girth bands. Seasonal dynamics of radial increment were modelled using Gompertz functions. Results confirm that each year the growing season period is different for each location. For pedunculate and sessile oak a common onset of the growth was observed during the whole period, except 2012. The same situation was emphasized for European beech (situated at 1,300 m altitude) and Norway spruce. For these species located in mountainous regions the maximum growth rate is recorded in the same period.
Models of ozone distribution and evaluation of its phytotoxic potential in the forests of the Carpathian Mountains of Central Europe are presented.
Ozone (O
3) concentrations were monitored during ...the 1997–1999 growing seasons in 32 forest sites of the Carpathian Mountains. At all sites (elevation between 450 and 1320 m) concentrations of O
3, nitrogen dioxide (NO
2), and sulfur dioxide (SO
2) were measured with passive samplers. In addition, in two western Carpathian locations, Vychodna and Gubałówka, ozone was continuously monitored with ultraviolet (UV) absorption monitors. Highest average hourly O
3 concentrations in the Vychodna and Gubałówka sites reached 160 and 200 μg/m
3 (82 and 102 ppb), respectively (except for the AOT40 values, ozone concentrations are presented as μg/m
3; and at 25 °C and 760 mm Hg, 1 μg O
3/m
3=0.51 ppb O
3). These sites showed drastically different patterns of diurnal O
3 distribution, one with clearly defined peaks in the afternoon and lowest values in the morning, the other with flat patterns during the entire 24-h period. On two elevational transects, no effect of elevation on O
3 levels was seen on the first one, while on the other a significant increase of O
3 levels with elevation occurred. Concentrations of O
3 determined with passive samplers were significantly different between individual monitoring years, monitoring periods, and geographic location of the monitoring sites. Results of passive sampler monitoring showed that high O
3 concentrations could be expected in many parts of the Carpathian range, especially in its western part, but also in the eastern and southern ranges. More than four-fold denser network of monitoring sites is required for reliable estimates of O
3 distribution in forests over the entire Carpathian range (140 points). Potential phytotoxic effects of O
3 on forest trees and understory vegetation are expected on almost the entire territory of the Carpathian Mountains. This assumption is based on estimates of the AOT40 indices for forest trees and natural vegetation. Concentrations of NO
2 and SO
2 in the entire Carpathian range were typical for this part of Europe and below the expected levels of phytotoxicity.
The monitoring studies carried out in the southern Romanian Carpathians (Retezat and Bucegi - Piatra Craiului Mts) provide a scientific support for long term ecosystem research (LTER). Their general ...objective is to characterize the air pollution and its potential effects upon forest ecosystems’ status and biodiversity in close connection with climatic changes. Two monitoring networks were placed in selected forest ecosystems for each LTER site (11 plots in Retezat and 22 plots in Bucegi - Piatra Craiului, respectively). Both in Retezat and Bucegi - Piatra Craiului Mts, the distribution of mean ozone (O3) concentrations are significantly correlated with altitude. The location (plot) has a significant influence on ozone concentration and in some cases the exposure period along the growing season has an influence. Ambient ozone (O3) and ammonia (NH3) concentrations were below toxicity levels for forest trees, their health status (crown condition) and volume growth being insignificantly affected. More than 45% of the rain events were acidic with pH≤5.5, thus contributing to an increased N deposition on forest stands. In Retezat Mts crown condition was relatively better than in Bucegi - Piatra Craiului Mts. As a consequence, in 2009 European beech (Fagus sylvatica) was the least affected species, with a percentage of damaged trees (crown defoliation higher than 25%) between 8.0% (Retezat) and 9.8% (Bucegi - Piatra Craiului), followed by Norway spruce (Picea abies) with 12.9% (Retezat) and 27.7% (Bucegi - Piatra Craiului). The most affected species was Silver fir (Abies alba) with 31.6% of damaged trees (Bucegi-Piatra Craiului). In the last period, both European beech and conifers (Norway spruce and Silver fir) with high defoliation (damaged trees) had lower annual relative increment than trees with low defoliation (healthy trees). A definite trend regarding rapid environmental modifications is not evident and no significant reduction of biodiversity occurred. In addition, all the vegetation biodiversity components of the forest ecosystems are specific to the stand type’s structures and local climate conditions, and no quantifiable consequences of specific air pollutants on ecosystems’ diversity occurred.
The stand structure of a virgin forest situated at an average altitude of 1130 m a.s.l. in the Milea Viforâta Nature Reserve (Southern Carpathians, Romania) was investigated to determine the specific ...development phases of the forest and understand how they influence the stand structure, with the aim of providing optimal solutions and structural models for sustainable forest management. All trees with breast height diameter (dbh) ≥ 8 cm were inventoried in the study plot (1 ha), and the main dendrometrical variables were measured. Radial increment cores were taken from all the trees and were subsequently processed. A total of 317 trees from three species - European beech (Fagus sylvatica), silver fir (Abies alba) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) - were sampled at different development phases (optimum, ageing, breakdown and dieback, rejuvenation). Testing stand structural diversity with the Gini index, a minimal stability was found in the rejuvenation development phase and a maximum stability in the ageing phase. No significant match was found between standard theoretical functions (Normal, Weibull, Gamma and Exponential) and the observed distribution of tree diameter. Also, it was confirmed that dominance of beech in all development phases is a consequence of its high competitive ability and its capacity to endure difficult environmental and biologically stressful conditions. The results revealed a series of structural models specific to these forest ecosystems, which can help managing forests under the selection system.
The stand structure of a virgin forest situated at an average altitude of 1130 m a.s.l. in the Milea Viforâta Nature Reserve (Southern Carpathians, Romania) was investigated to determine the specific ...development phases of the forest and understand how they influence the stand structure, with the aim of providing optimal solutions and structural models for sustainable forest management. All trees with breast height diameter (dbh) ≥ 8 cm were inventoried in the study plot (1 ha), and the main dendrometrical variables were measured. Radial increment cores were taken from all the trees and were subsequently processed. A total of 317 trees from three species - European beech (Fagus sylvatica), silver fir (Abies alba) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) - were sampled at different development phases (optimum, ageing, breakdown and dieback, rejuvenation). Testing stand structural diversity with the Gini index, a minimal stability was found in the rejuvenation development phase and a maximum stability in the ageing phase. No significant match was found between standard theoretical functions (Normal, Weibull, Gamma and Exponential) and the observed distribution of tree diameter. Also, it was confirmed that dominance of beech in all development phases is a consequence of its high competitive ability and its capacity to endure difficult environmental and biologically stressful conditions. The results revealed a series of structural models specific to these forest ecosystems, which can help managing forests under the selection system.
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