The inferior turbinates are the largest and the first to mitigate the inspired Air.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empty_nose_syndrome

As the inferior turbinates are the largest and the first to mitigate the inspired air, their loss has the most profound effect on the physiology of the remaining mucosa. The middle turbinates hover above the inferior turbinates and begin from approximately the midsection of the nasal cavity. They are much smaller and unlike the inferior turbinates harbour some olfactory nerve axons and protect the upper regions of the cavity, in particularly the olfactory bundle of nerves at the roof of the nose and the openings of the ethmoid and frontal sinuses.