Limited effect of urban tree vegetation on NO2 and O3 concentrations

Grundström, M., & Pleijel, H. (2014). Limited effect of urban tree vegetation on NO2 and O3 concentrations near a traffic route. Environmental Pollution, 189, 73–76. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2014.02.026

Platform
Gothenburg
Publication type
Scientific article (peer-reviewed)
Projects
Valuation of ecosystem services provided by urban greenery
DOI Title
Limited effect of urban tree vegetation on NO2 and O3 concentrations near a traffic route
Journal
Environmental Pollution
ISSN/ISBN
0269-7491
DOI
10.1016/j.envpol.2014.02.026
Author(s)
Maria Grundström Håkan Pleijel
Published year
Subject
Toxicology Pollution Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis General Medicine
Tags
Air quality Nitrogen dioxide Ozone Urban vegetation

 

Abstract

Concentrations of NO2 and O3 were measured inside and outside a dense broad-leaved forest canopy adjacent to a busy traffic route in the City of Gothenburg, Sweden, with duplicate passive diffusion samplers during six one-week periods starting well before leaf senescence and ending when leaves were largely senescent. Concentrations of NO2 were lower inside the forest canopy during all periods (representing a significant effect, p = 0.016), on average by 7% or 2.7 μg m−3. O3 showed a more variable response with an average non-significant effect of 2% lower in the forest stand. There was no systematic trend of the difference in concentrations inside and outside the forest stand of the pollutants with the progression of autumn leaf senescence. Our study indicates that the effect of urban vegetation on air pollution concentrations is small, although it seems to exist for NO2 in a traffic polluted environment.

Related publications