Stomatal conductance changes due to increasing carbon dioxide levels: Projected impact on surface ozone levels

Abstract

The impact of increasing levels of carbon dioxide on stomatal conductance and surface ozone levels was investigated using a global three-dimensional general circulation model (GCM) coupled to an interactive land surface scheme and a chemistry model. Pre-industrial, present day and doubled present day levels of carbon dioxide were used. This approach was used to examine the sensitivity of modelled surface ozone levels to changes in stomatal conductance via dry deposition. A doubled level of carbon dioxide was found to increase surface ozone levels by between 2 and 8 ppb in all four seasons owing to reduced dry deposition fluxes, although the location and extent of the changes were very different between each season. No change in levels of nitrogen oxides (NO and NO₂) was modelled. A similar experiment to examine the same effect on modelled pre-industrial ozone levels showed that the ozone levels over Europe were only slightly smaller (by 1–1.5 ppb) when the CO₂ level was decreased from 369 ppm to 280 ppm.