Ozone 'costing UK farms millions'

Increased ozone levels are causing millions of pounds of damage to UK food crops, York University research shows.

Loss of production in wheat and potato crops alone costs £70m and £14m a year respectively, according to new methods of calculating ozone absorption.
The study was conducted by Dr Lisa Emberson of the university's Stockholm Environment Institute.
She said: "Research into the effects of ozone on UK crops is remarkably limited given the economic implications."
Study widened
Her findings build on a previous study, which estimated that in 1990 the UK lost £130m in crops due to ozone taken up by plants.
Dr Emberson's figures incorporate additional factors such as species-specific and environmental conditions that, in combination with ozone concentrations, determine plants' susceptibility to damage.
Work is now under way to assess the threat to maize, tomato, sunflower and sugar beet - economically important crops which are sensitive to ozone.
Ozone is a naturally occurring atmospheric gas. High up in the earth's atmosphere, it plays a crucial role in filtering out harmful ultraviolet radiation that would otherwise damage life on earth.
However, at ground level, it can damage the health of humans, animals and vegetation.
Before industrialisation, annual mean ozone concentrations were between 10 to 15 parts per billion (ppb). Concentrations have now risen to approximately 30 ppb.
Dr Emberson said: "It's crucial to agricultural management to understand the combined stresses of ozone pollution and climate, especially given the projected increase in background ozone concentrations and changes in climate likely to occur in coming decades."