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 724
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
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Keywords
- air pollution
- phytoremediation
- responses from plants
- phytoremediation mechanism
- foliar microorganism
- emerging contaminants
- ozone
- biogenic volatile organic compounds
- acid rain
- haze
- photosynthesis
- primary productivity
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