Interactions of Urban Greenings and Air Pollution
A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Quality".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 1284
Special Issue Editors
Interests: bioremediation; plant physiology; plant resistance; air quality; heavy metals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: ecological carbon sink technology; ecological restoration; volatile organic compound emission inventory from plants
Interests: air pollution; health effects; oxidative potential; climate change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals aims to accelerate the reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions and associated air pollution. Urban greenings mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution by acting as a sink for CO2 and air pollution. It is reported that urban greening captures approximately 711,000 metric tons of air pollutants (O3, PM10, NO2, SO2, and CO) every year in the United States. A review study has demonstrated that the mean deposition of PM on leaves was 1.71 ± 0.05 g m−2·wk−1. Urban greenings can serve as environmental tools for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and associated air pollution in the atmosphere.
On the other side, urban greenings can emit biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), which are responsible for the formation of O3 and secondary aerosol aerosols (SOAs). BVOCs include isoprene, monoterpenes, sesquiterpene, and leaf alcohols. BVOC emissions are estimated to contribute to approximately 20% and 76% of O3 and SOA formation globally, respectively. It has been found that the emissions of BVOCs from urban greenings are enhanced as temperatures increase. In addition, the SOA yields that result from BVOCs are supposed to be high in a warming climate. The formation of O3 and SOAs could lead to negative influences on the metabolic processes of plants, therefore resulting in decreases in the assimilation of carbon in plants, plant growth, and the control of the stomata of the leaves in plants. One of the consequences associated with exposure to ozone is the reduced efficiency of water use in plants, leaf damage, and decrease photosynthesis, which lead to decreased crop and timber yields.
In addition, greenings, as a part of environmental media, can promote the migration of pollutants between different media. Pollutants in the air can be absorbed by plants in green spaces and converted into organic matter in the soil. The types of plants, soil properties, hydrological conditions, and other factors in green spaces can affect the migration and transformation process of pollutants.
The purpose of this Special Issue of Atmosphere is to provide an overview of recent “Interactions of Urban Greenings and Air Pollution”. We are pleased to invite you to submit original papers, reviews, and short communications that focus on the interactions between urban greenings and air pollution across a range of settings.
The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:
- Air pollution;
- Responses from plants;
- Phytoremediation mechanism;
- Foliar microorganisms;
- Emerging contaminants;
- Ozone;
- Biogenic volatile organic compounds;
- Acid rain;
- Haze;
- Photosynthesis;
- Primary productivity;
- Migration and transformation;
- Other related topics.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Yanju Liu
Prof. Dr. Xiaoxiu Lun
Dr. Qingyang Liu
Dr. Jia Liu
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- air pollution
- phytoremediation
- responses from plants
- phytoremediation mechanism
- foliar microorganism
- emerging contaminants
- ozone
- biogenic volatile organic compounds
- acid rain
- haze
- photosynthesis
- primary productivity
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
