The effects of acid rain and ozone on biomass and leaf area parameters of shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata Mill.)

Shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata Mill.) seedlings in 24 open-top chambers were exposed to combinations of ozone (carbon-filtered (control), ambient, 1.7 x ambient, and 2.5 x ambient) and acidic precipitation (pH 5.3, 4.3 and 3.3) for 16 months (1989 harvest) or 28 months (1990 harvest). Although the effects of acid rain were generally not significant, there was a trend toward increased aboveground biomass and leaf area in seedlings subjected to the low pH treatments. Because N concentrations in the soils generally increased with decreasing pH, we concluded that the effects of acid rain on aboveground biomass and leaf area were a consequence of an increasing concentration of soil N. In the 1989 harvest, seedlings in the 2.5 x ambient ozone treatment had significantly less biomass in all aboveground plant components and significantly less total leaf area than seedlings in the 1.7 x ambient ozone treatment. In the 1990 harvest, there were no significant effects of ozone on total aboveground biomass, although there was a trend toward reduced biomass in seedlings in the 2.5 x ambient ozone treatment. Both total leaf area and leaf biomass were significantly less in seedlings exposed to 2.5 x ambient ozone for 28 months than in both control seedlings and seedlings in the 1.7 x ambient ozone treatment. The greater, but not always significant, aboveground biomass and leaf area of seedlings in the 1.7 x ambient ozone treatment compared with control seedlings may be associated with the observed increase in soil nitrate concentration as a result of increased rates of leaf senescence and litterfall.     

Geological rhythms and cometary impacts

Time-series analysis reveals two dominant, stable long-term periodicities approximately equal to 33 +/- 3 and 260 +/- 25 million years in the known series of geological and biological upheavals during the Phanerozoic Eon. Because the cycles of these episodes agree in period and phase with the cycles of impact cratering on Earth, these results suggest that periodic comet impacts strongly influence global tectonism and biological evolution. These two periodicities could arise from interactions of the solar system with interstellar clouds as the solar system moves cyclically through the Galaxy.     

Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins and Dibenzofurans in Sediments from Siskiwit Lake, Isle Royale

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans were found in sediment from Siskiwit Lake on Isle Royale, Lake Superior, a location which can receive only atmospheric inputs. The source of these compounds is the atmospheric transport of dioxins and furans formed by combustion of domestic and chemical waste.     

Scientific communication and national security in 1984

The federal government's concern about maintaining the lead of the United States over the Soviet Union and its allies in militarily critical technology has led it to attempt to control unwanted technology transfer. Its attempts have extended to control of open scientific communication as well as the transfer of physical devices and blueprints. In 1982, the Corson Panel (an independent ad hoc committee) reviewed the evidence on the costs and benefits of controls and suggested guiding principles for government policy. This article examines the major policy developments since the Corson Panel completed its work. The stringency and the reach of government restrictions, either proposed or in force, go considerably beyond the panel's recommendations.