Ozone Deposition Dynamics in Ecosystem-Atmosphere Interactions

Ozone deposition constitutes a vital sink in the tropospheric ozone budget, linking atmospheric chemistry with ecosystem health and productivity. Dry deposition of ozone occurs primarily through stomatal uptake by vegetation and non-stomatal pathways such as cuticular adsorption, reactions with surface waxes and turbulent transport within the canopy. The rate of ozone removal depends on aerodynamic resistance above the canopy, leaf boundary‐layer resistance, and surface or stomatal conductance. Canopy structure, turbulent mixing and radiation shading modify both photochemical production of oxidants and vertical transport, leading to spatially heterogeneous deposition velocities. Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) emitted by plants influence ozone chemistry within the canopy by providing reactive sinks and precursors for secondary oxidants. These coupled processes regulate regional air quality, control plant stress responses and feed back on climate through alterations in oxidant lifetimes and aerosol formation. Advances in eddy-covariance flux measurements, dynamic chamber systems and high‐resolution chemical transport models have improved quantification of ozone sinks at ecosystem scales. Understanding the interplay of physical transport, plant physiology and in-canopy chemistry is essential for predicting how land-use change, extreme weather events and emission controls will impact surface ozone and ecosystem function globally.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent work has revealed the substantial impact of forest canopy shading and foliage‐modified turbulence on boundary-layer ozone concentrations. Incorporating foliar light interception and altered vertical diffusion into three-dimensional models reduces the positive bias in ozone forecasts by up to 70 % in forested regions. Foliage shading decreases photolysis rates below the canopy, while modified turbulent mixing prolongs in-canopy residence time of reactive species. These processes are now shown to exert an influence on surface ozone levels comparable to that of climate change scenarios or emission reduction policies. This insight underscores the need to couple dynamic canopy physics with detailed chemistry in regional and global air-quality models to more accurately represent ozone deposition and biosphere–atmosphere interactions.

Ozone Deposition Dynamics in Ecosystem-Atmosphere Interactions publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in ozone deposition dynamics in ecosystem-atmosphere interactions across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Dry deposition: The transfer of gases or particles from the atmosphere to the Earth’s surface without precipitation.

Stomatal uptake: Entry of gases into leaves through stomatal pores, regulated by plant physiological controls.

Non-stomatal deposition: Removal of ozone via surface reactions on cuticles, soil, water films or other non-leaf pathways.

Deposition velocity: A parameter expressing the flux of a gas to the surface per unit concentration in air, integrating resistances.

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs): Organic gases emitted by plants that affect atmospheric chemistry and provide reactive sinks or precursors.

References

1. Impacts of terrestrial vegetation on surface ozone in China: from present to carbon neutrality. Environmental Research Letters (2024).
2. Biogenic isoprene emissions, dry deposition velocity, and surface ozone concentration during summer droughts, heatwaves, and normal conditions in southwestern Europe. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (2023).
3. The effects of forest canopy shading and turbulence on boundary layer ozone. Nature Communications (2017).
4. An automated dynamic chamber system for surface exchange measurement of non-reactive and reactive trace gases of grassland ecosystems. Biogeosciences (2009).
5. A fast and precise chemiluminescence ozone detector for eddy flux and airborne application. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (2012).
6. Forest-atmosphere exchange of ozone: sensitivity to very reactive biogenic VOC emissions and implications for in-canopy photochemistry. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (2011).
7. Plant surface reactions: an opportunistic ozone defence mechanism impacting atmospheric chemistry. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (2016).