Tropospheric ozone production, nitrogen dioxide, and non-methane hydrocarbon emissions have always been a natural occurrence in the atmosphere as we know it. The production of tropospheric ozone had not been a major concern until recent decades. By themselves nitrogen dioxide and nitric oxide emi... Show moreTropospheric ozone production, nitrogen dioxide, and non-methane hydrocarbon emissions have always been a natural occurrence in the atmosphere as we know it. The production of tropospheric ozone had not been a major concern until recent decades. By themselves nitrogen dioxide and nitric oxide emissions do not produce a net gain in tropospheric ozone. It is when the nitrogen dioxide emissions increase and non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) compete with ozone in the oxidation reaction of nitric oxide that a net gain in tropospheric ozone is observed. When using a global model to predict tropospheric ozone concentration, it is important to characterize forests that emit high concentrations of NMHC. This study group used two landscape characterization methods, the belt transect method and the timber cruising method. The methods were compared to each other for accuracy and time consumption. These two methods were also compared to detailed landscape characterizations conducted by the Forest Inventory Analysis (FIA)of the United States Forest Service. As a result, the belt transect method and the timber cruising method compared well in determining the percentages of tree genera, yet the belt transect took about five times longer than the timber cruising method. The belt transect and timber cruising methods also had a high correlation when determining the percentages of tree genera with detailed FIA data of the same area. However, it became obvious that eight belt transects were not sufficient to accurately characterize a large area of land. Show less
