The Polluting of a Park
About Howard S. Neufeld
Education
- B.S., Rutgers University
- M.F. in forestry ecology, Yale University
- Ph.D., University of Georgia
Career
- Has taught at Appalachian since 1987
Teaching Specialties
- air pollution, plant physiology, introductory biology and biometrics
Related Resources
Howard Neufeld’s 20 years of research in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have built knowledge for understanding and predicting the impact of ozone
By Kate Cahow
From 1989 to 1998, ozone levels doubled in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, contributing to its status as one of the National Park Service’s worst parks for air pollution. Although 1999 was one of the worst years on record for ozone levels in the park, levels since then have been dropping, with 2004 being one of the lowest years.
“There are things going on here that help explain changes in ozone levels in the park,” said Howard S. Neufeld, a biology professor at Appalachian State University whose research has focused on the impact of ozone on native plant species in the park.
“The 1990s were particularly hot, dry years,” he said. “That type of weather is particularly conducive to making ozone. And, six to eight of those years were some of the region’s hottest years.”
These data illuminate that emission controls and weather patterns are the most important determinants of what ozone and other air pollutants are doing and will continue to do in the park and elsewhere, according to both Neufeld and Jim Renfro, the air resource specialist with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
“We know that hot, dry, stagnant air exacerbates ozone, and that cool weather combined with emission reductions reduces levels,” said Renfro. “As we continue to monitor ozone, we need to be aware of the long-term trends and cycles associated with both weather patterns and emission controls.”
What is ozone?
“Bad” ozone, in contrast to the “good” ozone in the atmosphere that protects Earth from ultraviolet rays, is considered a secondary pollutant. It is made when volatile organic compounds interact with nitrogen oxide in the presence of light.
For the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, its battle with ozone appears to be an unfortunate case of geographic configuration. It is caught between industrial pollutants that swirl in from the Ohio valley and the upper Midwest, and pollutants swirling up from Texas, Louisiana and Tennessee.
The current long-term trend of ozone in the Smokies region is downward, due mainly to the Clean Air Act’s ability to reduce peak ozone effects, said Neufeld. “But, according to modelers who work with global climate change, levels of ozone are predicted to rise, especially in the world’s more industrialized nations.”
Worldwide, ozone levels are expected to rise from between a half to 2 percent a year into the next century. This means that scientific investigation, such as Neufeld’s, into the impact of ozone on both the natural world and human health will continue to be of interest and value to both the scientific community and the world’s many inhabitants.
The canary in a bird cage
Since 1988, Neufeld has worked with a variety of researchers and funding agencies, such as the National Geographic Society, the National Park Service and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to assess the impact of ozone specifically on native plants in the park. The bigger picture joins Neufeld’s work with a vast amount of data on everything from crop damage, to human health costs.
“Essentially, we’re dealing with the proverbial ‘canary in a bird cage,’” said Neufeld. “If plants and trees are dying in the park because of ozone, it could be an indicator of a greater change for all of us.”
According to Neufeld, when ozone gets into the cells of a plant, depending on its sensitivity to ozone, it can reduce the productivity of those cells, thus damaging not only the plant but the plant’s environment or ecosystem as well.
“Through our survey work we found that nearly 100 species, or 6 percent of the park’s flora, show symptoms such as deep purple to brown spots on the leaves, which is consistent with ozone exposure,” he said.
“In our work at Purchase Knob in Waynesville, we discovered that of the cutleaf coneflowers we were studying, some were injured by ozone and some were not. Those that were injured produced many fewer flowers per plant than those not injured, and those injured flower heads produced only 50 percent of the seeds of the uninjured plants. This is a fairly large difference, and suggests that overall genetic diversity of the plant may be reduced.”
Engaging policymakers
This type of data is essential to park officials, as the park service is mandated to preserve species and genetic diversity. If researchers, such as Neufeld, can show that certain genotypes are being affected or even eliminated by ozone, then park administrators have ammunition to prompt policymakers to tighten environmental legislation.
“We know that quality of life is impaired when the environment is polluted,” said Neufeld. “Estimates are in the billions of dollars per year in the U.S. alone for lost yield and productivity of our forests and crops. This is specifically ozone related.”
He said the successes resulting from the Clean Air Act and the Montreal Protocol, signed in the 1980s to stop production of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used in aerosol sprays, show what can be done with proper legislation. Researchers need to keep gathering data to give regulators and policymakers ammunition to tighten ozone laws, Neufeld said.
“I love the work I do,” Neufeld added. “And, I love learning about nature. The fact that the state and federal government provide me funding to learn about the living world is great incentive for me to continue my work. It’s how I choose to give back to society. And, it’s the most fun thing I can imagine doing with my life.”
