Summary
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Extract
Tropospheric ozone effects on the productivity of some crops in central Saudi Arabia.
INTRODUCTION
The climatic record of the Middle East region for the past five years showed that there were fluctuations in the temperature and a decrease in rainfall over large portions (1). Human activities in Saudi Arabia such as burning fossil fuels and changes in land use that modify the global climate with temperature rise projected for the next 100 years could affect the human welfare and the environment. In the 21st century, warming trend and changes in precipitation patterns are expected to continue along with a rise in sea level and increased frequency of extreme weather events (26). The [O.sub.3] concentration in the normal range is 10-30 nL [L.sup.-1] (25). By rising temperature, its levels could reach above the natural ones. KSA has high levels of this gas during hot and sunny days when poor circulation occurs in the atmospheric boundary layer. In the mid-latitudes, such conditions are typical of the summer season and are associated with anticyclonic weather (22), (28). However, the [O.sub.3] pollution in Saudi Arabia is a matter of concern to all environmentalists of this region. Ozone potentiality to injure vegetation has been known for over 50 years (16). It is clear that ambient [O.sub.3] can cause visible leaf injury, growth and yield reductions and alter sensitivity to biotic and abiotic stresses (15). [O.sub.3] is indicated as the main culprit for economic crop damage caused by air pollution in the USA and probably causes more damage to vegetation than all other pollutants combined (21). Economic involvement of these effects may be important (20)...See the full content of this document
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