Stratospheric Ozone Reduction, Solar Ultraviolet Radiation and Plant Life

Inadvertent alterations of the earth's atmosphere by man's activities are now of regional and even global proportion. Increasing concern has been focused in the last decade on consequences of acid rain, carbon dioxide enrichment of the atmosphere and reduction of ozone in the upper atmosphere. The latter two problems are of truly global scale. This book focuses on the atmospheric ozone reduction problem and the potential consequences for plant life. unlike carbon dioxide enrichment, reduction of the total atmospheric ozone column has not yet taken place to a noticeable degree -- it is a problem of the future. The processes leading to ozone reduction involve time periods on the scale of decades. However, by the same token, if society finds ozone reduction to be unacceptable it will take even longer for the process to be reversed. Thus, anticipation of the consequences of ozone reduction is of obvious importance. Speculation of the possibility of ozone reduction first appeared in the early 1970's and was focused on the consequences of the injection of large quantities of nitrogen oxides into the upper atmosphere by supersonic aircraft flying at high altitudes. Other sources of nitrogen oxides originating from the earth's surface were also considered. With further refinement, the concerns of nitrogen oxide pollution of the upper atmosphere were diminished since the quantities likely to be involved were insufficient to cause a serious threat to the ozone layer.

Contenu

Agents and Effects of Ozone Trends in the Atmosphere.- Inconsistencies in Current Photochemical Models Deduced from Considerations of the Ozone Budget.- Computation of Spectral Distribution and Intensity of Solar UV-B Radiation.- A New UV-B Handbook, Vol. 1.- Possible Errors Involved in the Dosimetry of Solar UV-B Radiation.- Action Spectra and Their Key Role in Assessing Biological Consequences of Solar UV-B Radiation Change.- Action Spectra for Inactivation and Mutagenesis in Chinese Hamster Cells and Their Use in Predicting the Effects of Polychromatic Radiation.- Dose and Dose-Rate Responses to UV-B Radiation: Implications for Reciprocity.- Cellular Repair and Assessment of UV-B Radiation Damage.- Repair of Genetic Damage Induced by UV-B (290-320 nm) Radiation.- Physiological Responses of Yeast Cells to UV of Different Wavelengths.- Effects of UV-B Radiation on Photosynthesis.- Effect of UV Irradiation on Different Partial Reactions of the Primary Processes of Photosynthesis.- Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on Fluorescence Induction Kinetics in Isolated Thylakoids and Intact Leaves.- Fine Structural Effects of UV Radiation on Leaf Tissue of Beta vulgaris.- Comparative Sensitivity of Binucleate and Trinucleate Pollen to Ultraviolet Radiation: A Theoretical Perspective.- The Effect of Enhanced Solar UV-B Radiation on Motile Microorganisms.- UV-B Radiation and Adaptive Mechanisms in Plants.- Leaf UV Optical Properties of Rumex patientia L. and Rumex obtusifolius L. in Regard to a Protective Mechanism Against Solar UV-B Radiation Injury.- UV-B-Induced Effects upon Cuticular Waxes of Cucumber, Bean, and Barley Leaves.- Effects of UV-B Radiation on Growth and Development of Cucumber Seedlings.- Interaction of UV-A, UV-B and Visible Radiation on Growth, Composition, and Photosynthetic Activity in Radish Seedlings.- Effects of Enhanced Ultraviolet-B Radiation on Yield, and Disease Incidence and Severity for Wheat Under Field Conditions.- Effects of Ultraviolet-B Radiation on the Growth and Productivity of Field Grown Soybean.- Interaction Between UV-B Radiation and Other Stresses in Plants.- Models and Data Requirements for Measuring the Economic Consequences of UV-B Radiation on Agriculture.- Appendix 1: Subroutine for Schippnick and Green UV Spectral Irradiance Model.- List of Workshop Attendees.