Environmental Pollution 134 (2005) 1–4

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Quantifying ozone uptake and its effects on the stand level of

common beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in Southern Germany
Christoph Dittmara,), Klaus Pfaffelmoserb, Thomas Rötzerc, Wolfram Ellinga
a
Department of Forest Science and Forestry, Weihenstephan University of Applied Sciences, Am Hochanger 5, D-85354 Freising, Germany
b
Firm AKOSIM GmbH, Hummelgasse 14, D-85354 Freising, Germany
c
Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Management, Chair of Forest Yield Science, Technical University of Munich,
Am Hochanger 13, D-85350 Freising, Germany
Received 31 March 2004; accepted 18 August 2004

Water balance calculations can be used to estimate long-term O3 uptake at the stand level
and in combination with tree-ring data to derive new critical threshold values.

Abstract

Stand level O3 fluxes were calculated using water balance calculations for 21 Common beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) stands and O3
data from 20 monitoring stations in Southern Germany. For this intention, the daily loss of water by evapotranspiration per stand
area was set against the daily O3 uptake. During the last 30 years, O3 uptake ranges between 0 and 187 mmol ha
1 d
1 per stand
area. Cumulative O3 uptake (CUO3), ranging between 0.1 and 0.7 mmol m
2 yr
1 per stand area, shows increasing trends since 1971
with considerably greater values at high altitudes. Effects in radial growth were used to derive an initial approximate critical
threshold value for O3 impacts on the vitality and growth of mature beech stands in Southern Germany. It is concluded that this
concept of O3 flux estimation in combination with dendroecological analyses offers both a site specific and regional applicable
approach to derive new critical levels for O3.
Ó 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Keywords: Ozone flux; Water balance; Common beech; Radial growth; Dendroecology

1. Introduction (Karlsson et al., 2002; Matyssek et al., 2002). The

Risk assessment for ozone (O3) effects on vegetation
requires knowledge about site specific O3 concentration
and deposition, as well as the detection and quantifica-
tion of potential impacts. It is widely recognized that
only O3 molecules, which are absorbed by the stomata,
are harmful for plants. Hence, intensive efforts are being
undertaken to establish a new risk assessment and to
derive new critical levels which are based on O3 uptake
) Corresponding author. Present Address: Am Sandacker 25,
D-95511 Mistelbach, Germany. Tel.: C49 9201 799 181; fax: C49
6201 799 182.
E-mail address: christoph.dittmar@freenet.de (C. Dittmar).
available concepts, however, require measurements or
the modelling of stomatal conductance and gas
exchange, for which expensive techniques or numerous
and detailed model input data are necessary (cf. special
issue: Risk assessment for ozone effects on vegetation,
Environmental Pollution Vol. 109, No. 3, 2000). A less
expensive and more practical approach is presented by
Wieser et al. (2003), who used sap flow measurements in
order to estimate whole-tree O3 fluxes for different
coniferous trees. But even with this method continuous
and single tree measurements are still necessary.
Despite these new improvements and concepts for the
estimation of O3 uptake, an important gap for the
establishment of new, flux based O3 critical levels

0269-7491/$ - see front matter Ó 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2004.08.010
2 C. Dittmar et al. / Environmental Pollution 134 (2005) 1–4

Table 1
Investigated beech sites and estimated O3 uptake over the period 1971–2001
Site Name Altitude FO3 (mmol ha
1d
1) CUO3 (mmol m
2)
(m asl) Mean Max (July) Mean Max
ROSB Rosenheim, Schwarzenberg 960 30 166 0.55 0.72
ROKM Rosenheim, Kranzhorn 940 30 169 0.54 0.73
SLSE Bayrischzell, Seeberg I 1050 28 166 0.51 0.70
SLSZ Bayrischzell, Seeberg II 1190 28 166 0.52 0.71
STFA Starnberg, Försterangerl 630 27 135 0.50 0.73
STKG Starnberg, Kirchgrub 710 25 132 0.45 0.63
TZWF Bad Tölz, Wasserfall (Herzogstand) 730 21 138 0.38 0.51
TZGG Bad Tölz, Grenzgraben (Herzogstand) 1020 28 166 0.51 0.68
TZHS Bad Tölz, Herzogstand 1425 28 164 0.51 0.64
WLKW Weilheim, Kirchwald 725 30 138 0.55 0.72
OGWW Oberammergau, Windwurfeck (Laber) 750 21 164 0.38 0.52
OGMW Oberammergau, Mühlweg (Laber) 1060 29 171 0.52 0.74
OGLR Oberammergau, Lober (Laber) 1325 24 149 0.45 0.59
FUNS Füssen, Schwarzenberg 1010 25 166 0.45 0.65
AITA Aichach, Tafel (Höglwald) 530 19 102 0.35 0.50
WZGV Würzburg, Gmd.wald Veitshöchheim 295 11 99 0.20 0.34
NWGR NP Bayer.Wald, Guglöder Riegel 845 25 154 0.46 0.64
NWGF NP Bayerischer Wald, Gfeichtet 1190 27 170 0.50 0.68
FGJR Freyung, Jägerriegel 965 26 170 0.47 0.69
ZWRU Zwiesel, Rusel 975 27 187 0.49 0.69
NRJK Neureichenau, Jägerkopf 1000 27 183 0.50 0.67

remains. There is still only a limited amount of data
available about O3 dose–response relationships, espe-
cially for forest trees. Therefore, in this study a new
concept of O3 flux calculation is presented and combined
with dendroecological analyses in order to derive critical
levels for effects on tree growth and vitality. It focuses on
the highly O3 polluted region of the northern Alps
utilising common beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), which is
known as an O3 sensitive tree species.
2. Materials and methods
Twenty-one closed and mature beech stands at
different altitudes in Southern Germany were selected
(Table 1); at each site 20 dominant trees were sampled
and dendroecologically evaluated according to Dittmar
and Elling (1999). Additionally, soils were carefully
described in order to estimate the maximum available
water content until rooting depth.
Data from suitable climate stations of the German
Weather Service along with derived transfer functions
were used to obtain site specific, daily values of
temperature, precipitation, wind speed, radiation or
sunshine duration and air humidity for each location for
at least the last 30 years. In order to provide continuous
and site specific data about the O3 pollution, all
available records from 20 monitoring stations in
Southern Germany were collected, analysed and com-
pleted by using statistically derived transfer and re-
gression functions (Dittmar et al., 2003).
O3 uptake into the leaves is coupled with transpira-
tion. Hence, in the presented approach the estimation of
transpiration is used to determine O3 fluxes. According
to the ‘‘water vapour surrogate method’’ (cf. Matyssek
et al., 2002), O3 uptake is proportional to transpiration
and can be calculated by the following flux equation:
FO3 Zðca
ci Þ!Gc !0:613
where FO3 is the O3 flux or uptake rate, ca the ambient
O3 concentration, ci the internal O3 concentration
(approx. zero), Gc the stomatal or whole-tree canopy
conductance, and 0.613 is a conversation factor
accounting for the lower diffusivity of O3 relative to
water vapour in the air (cf. Matyssek et al., 2002). In
order to get stand related O3 fluxes, we replace Gc by the
actual evapotranspiration (Eta), the daily loss of water
per stand area due to transpiration and evaporation.
Evapotranspiration is calculated as part of the daily
ecosystem water balance by using the model HyMo
(Rötzer et al., 2004a). Both the evaporation from the
soil surface and the transpiration of the ground
vegetation are small in comparison to the transpiration
of trees in a closed and mature beech stand. Hence, they
weredas a first approachdneglected and Eta defined as
the daily stomatal water flux per stand area. Conse-
quently, according to the flux equation above, O3
uptake can be calculated as the daily flux per stand
area (e.g. in mmol ha
1 d
1). As the daily O3 value, the
average of the ambient O3 concentration (Ca) of
the daylight hours between 6 am and 9 pm during the
summer months was used.
As a phenological module (Rötzer et al., 2004b)
is implemented in HyMo, a site specific as well as
annually changing beginning of the vegetation period is
 C. Dittmar et al. / Environmental Pollution 134 (2005) 1–4
Fig. 1. Ozone uptake (FO3) of two beech stands in Southern Germany
during the vegetation period of 1994.
considered. Because beech trees solely transpire within
the vegetation period, Eta, and also FO3, exceed zero
only for days during the vegetation period. Consequent-
ly, the cumulative uptake (CUO3, e.g. in mmol m
2
year
1)dcalculated by the integration of FO3 between
April and Septemberdreflects all site specific and
phenologically relevant exposure periods.
3. Results and discussion
Ozone fluxes (FO3), derived from the daily actual
evapotranspiration, ranged between 0 and 187 mmol
ha
2 d
1 at the stand level (Table 1). The highest values
Fig. 2. Cumulative O3 uptake (CUO3) and mean radial growth (average of 20 trees, 40 measured radii per site) of common beech sites in Southern
Germany.
3
between 1971 and 2001 were reached during July 1994 at
high altitude sites of the Bavarian Forest and the
Northern Alps. In Fig. 1 the daily O3 uptake of the two
sites WZGV and TZHS during the vegetation period of
1994 are illustrated. Low O3 values and especially water
deficiency in the summer months strongly reduced O3
uptake at WZGV, whereas at TZHS, high levels were
reached during several exposure periods.
Cumulative O3 uptake values (CUO3) range between
0.11 and 0.74 mmol m
2 per stand area. Conspicuous
and alarming are the increasing CUO3 levels at all sites
during the last decades (cf. Fig. 2). For all data sets
a significant increasing trend of 0.054 mmol m
2 CUO3
per 10 years was obtained (r Z 0.40, p ! 0.001,
n Z 615). Using a leaf area index of 6, typical for closed
and mature beech stands (cf. Fleck and Schmidt, 2001),
estimated O3 uptake data at stand level were transferred
to O3 flux per total leaf area. Both FO3 and CUO3 values
are comparable to those derived from stomatal conduc-
tance modelling, e.g. presented by Emberson et al.
(2000).
In contrast to other O3 flux estimations, our concept
offers the possibility of retrospective analyses. Hence,
the calculated O3 fluxes of the last 30 years were
compared with tree-ring data evaluated at the selected
beech stands. For the interpretation of possible impacts
on growth, however, site specific different climate–
growth relationships of beech have to be considered
carefully (cf. Dittmar and Elling, 1999).
Both site and weather influences are limiting O3
uptake. At low altitude sites (e.g. WZGV), transpiration
4 C. Dittmar et al. / Environmental Pollution 134 (2005) 1–4
is mainly limited by water availability. Hence, during
warm and dry periods, often accompanied by high O3
values, low evapotranspiration and low O3 uptake rates
occur (see Fig. 1). Although the vegetation periods are
distinctly longer at these sites, this leads also to low
CUO3 levels (Table 1, Fig. 2a). In contrast, at high
altitude sites, temperature and radiation are the main
controlling factors of transpiration. Water supply is
sufficient most of the time, even during the summer
months. Consequently, transpiration is high during
warm and sunny periods while the O3 concentrations
are often especially high, too. This explains the fact that
O3 fluxes increase with altitude and reach high values in
years with warm, dry and sunny weather conditions (see
Fig. 1). Taking the climate–growth relationships into
account, it is assumed that impacts of O3 on radial
growth in high altitude sites are more pronounced in
subsequent years rather than in the years of high uptake
rates. In fact, beech trees have shown repeated
anomalous growth depressions since the second half of
the 1970s, always following years with high O3 uptake
values (cf. Dittmar et al., 2002). Site conditions,
weather, late frost events or other influences like mast
(seed production) do not provide sufficient explanation
for these strong growth reductions in single years and
the delayed recovery (Dittmar et al., 2003). Also reduced
growth trends, repeatedly found at lower altitudes
(around 700 m above sea level (asl)) after 1990 (cf.
Fig. 2b), are considered as a new phenomenon. As initial
approximate critical level for O3 impacts on beech
growth and vitality a CUO3 around 0.4 mmol m
2
year
1 per stand area was derived. In Southern
Germany this value was already exceeded in the 1970s
in high altitude sites and also in the late 1980s and after
1990 at lower altitude sites.
We conclude that our concept of a water balance
based estimation of O3 fluxes in combination with tree-
ring analyses offers an important tool for the derivation
of site specific, as well as regional specific threshold
values. For quantification of an O3 impact on growth,
however, further investigations are still necessary
because numerous different short term, as well as long
term, growth influences and interactions are involved.
Additionally, further improvements of water balance
modelling and with it, the estimation of transpiration
will also be possible.
Acknowledgements
This study was part of a project of the German
Federal Environmental Agency (UBA) funded by the
German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature
Conservation and Nuclear Safety (UFOPLAN-No. 201
63 206). The authors thank the Bavarian Forest
Administration for friendly cooperation, the German
Weather Service (DWD) for climatic data, and students
of the Weihenstephan University of Applied Sciences for
their contributions. We gratefully acknowledge the
provision of ozone data by the Bavarian Environ-
mental Protection Agency (LfU), the German Federal
Environmental Agency (UBA), the Meteorological
Observatory Hohenpeissenberg, the Institute of the
Research of the Atmospheric Environment (IMK-
IFU) of the Karlsruhe Research Centre (FKZ), and
the GSF-National Research Centre for Environment
and Health.
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