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Deposition of Airborne Particulates onto Plant Leaves
Author(s) -
Klepper Betty,
Craig D. K.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq1975.00472425000400040015x
Subject(s) - deposition (geology) , aerosol , particulates , inert , particle (ecology) , environmental chemistry , environmental science , pollutant , particle deposition , chemistry , phaseolus , stack (abstract data type) , botany , paleontology , oceanography , organic chemistry , sediment , computer science , biology , programming language , geology
In order to assess potential environmental hazards from foliar absorption of airborne pollutants released in stack effluents from industrial plants, it is necessary to measure deposition characteristics onto plant foliage. This paper describes an exposure chamber which permits highly toxic materials to be delivered to plant leaves under reproducible conditions of wind speed and aerosol concentration. An aerosol of a gold colloid labelled with 198 Au and having an activity median aerodynamic diameter (AMAD) of about 0.8 µ m was used in experiments with bean leaves ( Phaseolus vulgaris L. var. ‘Tendergreen’) and with inert surfaces. Measurements were made of leaf area, wind speed, and aerosol concentration and particle size distribution. Leaves oriented toward and away from winds of 0.42 cm/second showed similar deposition rates for particles with an AMAD of about 0.8 µ m. Deposition velocities for leaves were similar to deposition velocities measured for upward facing inert surfaces which were an order of magnitude greater than downward facing inert surfaces for the aerosols and wind velocities used in these experiments.