OZONE DEPOSITION TO AN OAT CROP (AVENA-SATIVA L) GROWN IN OPEN-TOP CHAMBERS AND IN THE AMBIENT AIR

Fluxes and deposition velocities for ozone were determined for open-top chambers with and without an oat crop, and for the adjacent field, using a resistance analogue model and the aerodynamic wind-profile method, respectively. During a period when the canopy was green and the ambient wind speeds modest, the fluxes and deposition velocities were higher in the chamber with plants than in the field crop. The deposition to chamber walls and soil in the chamber only accounted for part of that difference. The deposition velocity for ozone to the crop was light-dependent both in the chamber with plants and in the ambient air. With increasing plant senescence, the deposition velocity declined and the light dependence disappeared. Fluctuations in deposition velocity superimposed on the overall declining trend followed the same temporal pattern in the chambers with and without plants. These fluctuations in deposition velocity may partly be explained by variations in surface wetness. Differences in boundary layer conductance between chamber and ambient, which under certain conditions may significantly influence the validity of the chamber as a test system, were observed.