Estimating Crop Yield Effects from Ambient Air Pollutants in the Ohio River Valley

The apparent present effect of regional pollutant loads on crops and forests in the central midwest states was evaluated as part of the Ohio River Basin Energy Study (ORBES). The consequences of the local and regional loadings of SO2 and O3 for agricultural yields are summarized as “crop-loss coefficients,” based on the published experimental effects data, and applied to agricultural lands in the Ohio Valley region through regional monitoring of the two pollutant gases. The results are shown as upper and lower bounds containing the most probable crop loss values. The results also are reported as total potential increases in crop yields for the ORBES region, expressed as bushels, appropriate, within the limits of uncertainty, for economic and related energy policy evaluations.