¹H-NMR Micro-Imaging and Correlated Sem Studies of Spruce Needles from Healthy and Declined Forest Sites

Abstract

¹H-NMR micro-imaging is a technique for measuring mobile proton density and for obtaining cross-sectional pictures of quantitative distribution of water in living tissues. An application comparing healthy and damaged Norway spruce needles of a slightly polluted stand of the Sauerland area, Germany, and a severely polluted stand of the Eggegebirge, Germany, is presented. Damaged needles show a higher proton signal intensity and a different distribution of free water in the needle tissues compared with healthy needles. ¹H-NMR microimaging and correlated SEM studies give rise to an integrated interpretation of symptoms caused by air pollution.

Key Words:

• ¹-NMR micro-imaging
• tissue water distribution
• nondestructive analysis
• Norway spruce needle
• Picea abies Karst
• forest decline