Modelling ozone deposition fluxes: The relative roles of deposition and detoxification processes

A new Model of Ozone Deposition and Detoxification (MODD) is presented. This model describes stomatal ozone uptake and deposition on external plant surfaces and soil; it accounts for diurnal variability of detoxification processes and reactive ozone uptake on cuticular waxes and soil surface. The mechanistic modelling of plant defense reactions is based on the Plöchl et al. (2000) detoxification model in which the dynamics of apoplast chemistry are considered. To estimate ozone deposition fluxes on cuticular waxes and soil surface, we use a revised version of the Morrison and Nazaroff (2002) model developed to account for ozone uptake on material surfaces. This model which has been fully integrated with a soil-plant-atmosphere continuum model ensures a complete coupling between stomatal conductance and O₃ exchanges between leaves and the atmosphere. The observed diurnal variations in stomatal conductance which largely control the influx of O₃ into the leaf are well reproduced. Model simulations point out that the pool of ascorbate located in the mesophyll cell wall plays a significant role in the detoxification of O₃. Besides stomatal conductance, it is the key process involved in the control of ozone flux to the cell wall. A decrease in the pool of ascorbate lengthens the chemical lifetime of O₃ in the cell wall then the virtual apoplastic resistance is found to increase with decreasing ascorbate. Although the atmospheric ozone concentration increases as the weather becomes hot and dry, the virtual apoplastic resistance follows the same trend, indicating a decrease of the ascorbate pool in the mesophyll cell wall. Results also indicate that for the pre-senescence period 57% of the ozone is deposited onto the cuticular surfaces, 4% on soil and only 37% is absorbed by stomata. The comparison of modelled and measured data reported in this study indicates that the model is capable of predicting the major features of the patterns of total ozone flux.