A Dendrochemical Analysis of Lead, Aluminum, and Calcium in Southern Appalachian American Beech.

<p>The health of the northern hardwood forest in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia has recently gained attention from the media and environmental stakeholders. This project was designed to examine concentrations of metals, including lead, aluminum, and calcium in growth rings of an important northern hardwood species, American beech (<em>Fagus grandifolia</em> Ehrh.) at Mount Rogers and Whitetop Mountain, Virginia. Dominant and codominant trees were sampled from sixteen research plots located at two different elevations. Samples were crossdated, divided into sections of ten-year periods, and analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Concentrations of metals were negatively correlated with ring width. Elevation and aspect were significantly associated with the concentration of the cations analyzed. Both lead and calcium concentrations increased during the 1860s and again during the mid-1900s. This increase in lead and calcium may suggest the mobilization of these elements in soil.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

MSEH (Master of Science in Environmental Health)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis - unrestricted

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Environmental Health

Year dc:date.issued

2001

Author dc:creator

• Southerland, Laura Suzanne

• Calcium
• Southern Appalachians
• Aluminum
• Lead Analysis
• Dendrochronology
• Dendrochemistry
• Northern Hardwoods
• Environmental Sciences
• Natural Resources and Conservation
• Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright by the authors.

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/110

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dc.etsu.edu:etd-1160