NHMU Ozone Garden

The National Ozone Garden Network uses bioindicator gardens as outdoor laboratories for citizen scientists to observe and document the visible damage caused by ozone on specific plant species. Data collected from these gardens can be used to complement NASA's TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) satellite mission, providing ground-based measurements of ozone concentrations. 

What is a Bioindicator Garden?

Ozone bioindicator gardens are specially designed to show how ozone pollution damages plants. NHMU's Ozone Garden includes specific cultivars of plants that are "sensitive" to ozone pollution. These species will show visible signs of damage when ozone (O3) is in the atmosphere - like a "canary in a coal mine" for ozone pollution. 

What are we growing? 

While there are several species of plants that are sensitive to ground level ozone, we use the following ozone-sensitive bioindicator plant species in our NHMU Garden: 

• Cutleaf Coneflower (Rudbeckia Iacinata) 

• Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) 

• La Chipper Potato (Solanum tuberosum) 

• Snap Bean 

  • Phaseolus vulgaris - Ozone Sensitive Variety: S-156

  • Phaseolus vulgaris - Ozone Tolerant Variety: R-311 (grown for comparison)

Location and access

The garden is located in raised planters on NHMU's Life Terrace, which can be accessed through the south doors in NHMU's Life Gallery on Level 4. This area is paved.

Months of activity

Our bioindicator garden is active from April-October, though ozone damage is most likely to be seen once leaves are established.