Affiliation:
1. School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
2. School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
Abstract
Globally, rapid urbanisation is one of the major drivers for land-use changes, many of which have a marked impact on urban air quality. Urban forestry has been increasingly proposed as a means of reducing airborne pollutants; however, limited studies have comparatively assessed land-use types, including urban forestry, for their relationship with air pollution on a city scale. We, thus, investigated the spatial relationships between three air pollutant concentrations, NO2, SO2, and PM10, and different land uses and land covers across a major city, by constructing a yearly average model combining these variables. Additionally, relationships between different vegetation types and air pollutant concentrations were investigated to determine whether different types of vegetation are associated with different air pollutants. Parklands, water bodies, and more specifically, broadleaf evergreen forest and mangrove vegetation were associated with lower pollutant concentrations. These findings support urban forestry’s capabilities to mitigate air pollution across a city-wide scale.
Funder
Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship
Subject
General Environmental Science,Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
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