Trace Elements in Tree Rings: Evidence of Recent and Historical Air Pollution
Baes CF and Mclaughlin SB. 1984. Trace Elements in Tree Rings: Evidence of Recent and Historical Air Pollution. Science. 224(4648):12
The study, conducted by the Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, analyzed core samples of tree rings of the shortleaf pine in the Park for mineral content (Fe, Al, Cd, Cu, Mn, Zn). Suppressed growth was noted for the period of 1863 - 1912, when the smelters at Copper Hill were operative, and also in the past 25 years, when fossil fuel combustion increased by 200%. It is not known whether the high metal concentrations in the cambium have exceeded the toxic threshold.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Baes, Charles; Mclaughlin, Samuel
- Units
- ARD , GRSM
- Keywords
- AIRBIB, Great Smoky Mountains National Park NC TN, GRSM-00666, GRSM-01948, Minerals, Plant Studies, Shortleaf Pine (Pinus echinata), smelters, Tree Rings