This study investigated the eco-physiological changes on Konara oak seedlings caused by the simultaneous fumigation of ozone and sulfuric acid during a short term period. The Konara oak leaves were exposed individually or in combinations to 120 ppbv ozone and pH 3 sulfuric acid inside open top chambers for 60-days. The treatments negatively affected the net photosynthetic rate at near-saturating irradiance, stomatal conductance, and photochemical efficiency of PSII in the dark adapted state, and chlorophyll content. The foliar symptom assessments of chlorosis and reddish brown stippling revealed severe damages by the ozone and acid containing treatments. Based on a correlation study of the analytical parameters during the treatments, the photosynthetic rate was considered to be affected by a reduction in the stomatal function and ingredient content in the leaf. Mannitol (a reactive oxygen scavenger) mitigated the effects of the treatments; thus, reactive oxygen species generated by the ozone and acid may be responsible for the damaged plants.

The source apportionment of PM_2.5 in the central Kyushu area was conducted at five sites of roadside, urban and suburban sites in Kumamoto prefecture and at two remote sites in Nagasaki prefecture using the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model and Chemical Mass Balance (CMB) model. The major sources at the five sites in FY2014 estimated by the PMF model were “Secondary sulfate” factor and “Carbonaceous aerosol” factor, with contributions of 19.8–33.1% and 39.9–56.9%, respectively. The major sources at the five sites in FY2014 estimated by the CMB model were “Secondary ammonium sulfate”, “Vehicle”, and “Secondary Organic Carbon” (SOC) with contributions of 34.3–40.1%, 10.9–21.5%, and 12.9–16.4%, respectively. A comparison with the model results at the remote sites suggested that the “Secondary sulfate” factor and “Secondary ammonium sulfate” were dominated by trans-boundary pollution, and the “Carbonaceous aerosol” factor, “Vehicle” and “SOC” were dominated by local pollution. These results suggested that local pollutions associated with traffic and SOC were influenced to exceedance of annual standard for PM_2.5. In addition, the models results and an analysis using NO_x indicated that emissions associated with traffic were the main cause of spatial variations in the PM_2.5 concentration at sites in Kumamoto prefecture.