Urban Biogenic Emissions and Air Quality: Health Effects and Thresholds of Nature Exposure
A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Quality and Health".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2027 | Viewed by 63
Editors
Interests: urban ecology; atmospheric environment; air pollution; public health
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Rapid urbanization has profoundly altered the structural and functional integrity of urban ecosystems, directly impacting the atmospheric environment and public health. Urban vegetation plays a critical yet highly complex “dual role” in regulating air quality through interconnected chemical and physical pathways. Physically, plant foliage provides essential ecosystem services by mitigating air pollution via dry deposition. However, under certain configurations, dense tree canopies can act as natural street canyons, trapping pollutants by restricting ventilation and air dispersion. Chemically, urban forests emit Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOCs) that serve as precursors to ground-level ozone (O3) and secondary organic aerosols (SOA), while specific volatile components concurrently offer neurophysiological health benefits, such as stress recovery. This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive platform bridging urban forestry, atmospheric physics, environmental chemistry, and public health. We welcome original research and review articles focusing on: (1) The dual physical mechanisms of urban vegetation, including dry deposition dynamics and the aerodynamic impacts of canopy structures on pollutant dispersion; (2) The dual chemical impacts of BVOC emissions, balancing their photochemical pollution risks against their restorative/therapeutic benefits; and (3) The integrated evaluation of nature exposure thresholds and the optimization of urban greening structure–function frameworks (e.g., via 3D Visual Exposure/GVI3D and microclimate modeling) to maximize health benefits while minimizing environmental risks.
Dr. Yuan Ren
Dr. Yan Shi
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- BVOCs
- urban forest
- ozone and SOA pollution
- restorative BVOCs
- dry deposition
- pollutant dispersion
- nature exposure thresholds
- health effect
- air pollution
- ecosystem service
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