scholarly journals Urban Vegetation Types are Not Perceived Equally in Providing Ecosystem Services and Disservices

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 2076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zuzana Drillet ◽  
Tze Fung ◽  
Rachel Leong ◽  
Uma Sachidhanandam ◽  
Peter Edwards ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Urban Vegetation ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Regulating Services ◽  
Planning And Management

Urban vegetation is important in providing ecosystem services to people. Different urban vegetation types provide contrasting suites of ecosystem services and disservices. Understanding public perceptions of the ecosystem services and disservices can therefore play an important role in shaping the planning and management of urban areas. We conducted an online survey (n = 1000) to understand how residents in the tropical city of Singapore perceived urban vegetation and the associated ecosystem services and disservices. The questionnaire was designed to explore whether different urban vegetation types (grass, shrubs, trees, trees over shrubs, and secondary forest) were perceived as equal in providing benefits. Respondents considered ecosystem services provided by urban vegetation to be more important than disservices. Among ecosystem services, regulating services were most highly rated, with more than 80% of the respondents appreciating urban vegetation for providing shade and improving air quality. Respondents recognized that different vegetation types provided different ecosystem services. For example, secondary forest was most commonly associated with education and wildlife, while trees were strongly associated with cooling and air quality. We conclude that in developing plans and designs for urban vegetation and ecosystem services, it is important to understand the perceptions, priorities, and concerns of residents.

scholarly journals Air quality change due to COVID-19 lockdown in India and its perception by public

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abinaya Sekar ◽  
Jasna R S ◽  
Binoy B V ◽  
Prem Mohan ◽  
George Kuttiparichel Varghese
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Air Quality Improvement ◽  
Very High

Abstract In this study, air quality data for 100 days recorded at 193 stations distributed throughout India were analyzed to understand the changes in air quality following the country-wide lockdown imposed from 25th March to 17th May 2020 to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The responses from a nationwide online survey conducted to obtain public perceptions of air quality improvement were also analyzed. On average, an approximately 40% improvement in the air quality index was observed, contributed by a reduction in 40% of PM10, 44% of PM2.5, 51% of NO2 and 21% of SO2. There was a significant difference between the levels of all the pollutants before and after the lockdown (p<0.05), except ozone. The Pearson correlation coefficient showed that the correlation between PM10 and PM2.5 with ozone was significant after the lockdown period, indicating that a significant portion of the particulates present in the atmosphere after the lockdown period is secondary. The survey for public perception showed that 60% of the 1750 respondents perceived improvement in air quality. On a scale of 1 to 5, the respondents from Delhi perceived the highest improvement, from 2.2 to 4.5. An odds ratio of 17 indicated a very high dependence of perception on actual air quality. PM10 levels had the highest influence in shaping public perceptions of air quality. The results from Google Trends analysis showed that media had no influence on shaping the perception of improvement in air quality.

scholarly journals The Potential for Urban Vegetation to Mitigate Ambient Air Pollution Threats to Public Health

Topophilia ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 53-62
Author(s):  
Sonak Patel
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Ambient Air Pollution ◽  
Respiratory Morbidity ◽  
Urban Vegetation ◽  
Global Risk

This paper assesses the threat that ambient air pollution poses to urban public health and the potential role of urban vegetation to mitigate those threats. Air pollution is a major global risk to health, especially in urban areas. In this paper, four major air pollutants were assessed: particulate matter, tropospheric ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. These pollutants were found to have several adverse effects, including increasing mortality and respiratory morbidity. These pollutants come from a variety of sources, but a major contributor in urban areas is the burning of fossil fuels in automobiles. The adverse health effects of pollution are expected to grow as climate change worsens air quality. Research and case studies find that urban vegetation can filter air and remove pollutants through deposition and stomatal uptake. The effectiveness of air pollution removal is dependent upon specific variables, including leaf characteristics, type of vegetation, and seasons. Urban vegetation may worsen air quality in some cases due to slowing ventilation and producing biological volatile organic compounds. While urban vegetation has potential to mitigate ambient air pollution, conducting site specific research is needed when implementing greenspace policies.

Recognising wetland ecosystem services within urban case studies

2014 ◽  
Vol 65 (7) ◽  
pp. 575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. McInnes
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Population ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Wetland Ecosystem ◽  
Ramsar Convention ◽  
Governing Council ◽  
Planning And Management ◽  
Robust Integration

Ecosystems, and wetlands in particular, provide services that support and enhance human well being. In an increasingly urbanising world, the appropriate planning and management of ecosystem services can benefit a growing urban population. In 2011 UN-Habitat’s Governing Council adopted a Resolution that provided a mandate to promote biodiversity, wetlands and ecosystem services within the human settlement agenda. Subsequently, and developed in collaboration with UN-Habitat, in 2012 the Ramsar Convention also adopted a Resolution on the principles for the planning and management of urban and periurban wetlands and invited countries to raise awareness of the importance of wetlands to urban populations. This paper considered case studies drawn from cities across the globe in order to understand the level of awareness of ecosystem services from urban areas. The study demonstrated that ecosystem services were consistently under-recognised and that the failure to recognise the benefits is greatest for the ecosystem services provided by wetlands and in particular for supporting services. To ensure that the obligations under the two resolutions are implemented, and that urbanisation delivers high levels of societal well being, will require the development, dissemination and adoption of practical tools and a more robust integration of ecosystem services into urban planning and decision-making.

scholarly journals Evaluation of urban surface parameterizations in the WRF model using measurements during the Texas Air Quality Study 2006 field campaign

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 2127-2143 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.-H. Lee ◽  
S.-W. Kim ◽  
W. M. Angevine ◽  
L. Bianco ◽  
S. A. McKeen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
Urban Vegetation ◽  
Galveston Bay ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Field Campaign ◽  
Quality Study

Abstract. The performance of different urban surface parameterizations in the WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) in simulating urban boundary layer (UBL) was investigated using extensive measurements during the Texas Air Quality Study 2006 field campaign. The extensive field measurements collected on surface (meteorological, wind profiler, energy balance flux) sites, a research aircraft, and a research vessel characterized 3-dimensional atmospheric boundary layer structures over the Houston-Galveston Bay area, providing a unique opportunity for the evaluation of the physical parameterizations. The model simulations were performed over the Houston metropolitan area for a summertime period (12–17 August) using a bulk urban parameterization in the Noah land surface model (original LSM), a modified LSM, and a single-layer urban canopy model (UCM). The UCM simulation compared quite well with the observations over the Houston urban areas, reducing the systematic model biases in the original LSM simulation by 1–2 °C in near-surface air temperature and by 200–400 m in UBL height, on average. A more realistic turbulent (sensible and latent heat) energy partitioning contributed to the improvements in the UCM simulation. The original LSM significantly overestimated the sensible heat flux (~200 W m−2) over the urban areas, resulting in warmer and higher UBL. The modified LSM slightly reduced warm and high biases in near-surface air temperature (0.5–1 °C) and UBL height (~100 m) as a result of the effects of urban vegetation. The relatively strong thermal contrast between the Houston area and the water bodies (Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico) in the LSM simulations enhanced the sea/bay breezes, but the model performance in predicting local wind fields was similar among the simulations in terms of statistical evaluations. These results suggest that a proper surface representation (e.g. urban vegetation, surface morphology) and explicit parameterizations of urban physical processes are required for accurate urban atmospheric numerical modeling.

scholarly journals Spatial Correlations Don't Predict Changes in Agricultural Ecosystem Services: A Canada-Wide Case Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew G. E. Mitchell ◽  
Kai M. A. Chan ◽  
Nathaniel K. Newlands ◽  
Navin Ramankutty
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
National Level ◽  
Livestock Production ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Quality Regulation ◽  
Regulating Services ◽  
Service Change

Improving the management of multiple ecosystem services (e.g., food provision, water and air quality regulation, carbon storage, and erosion control) in agricultural landscapes is a critical challenge to improve food system sustainability. However, we currently lack spatially-resolved national-level assessments of the relationships among services in agricultural landscapes over time. This limits our ability to make decisions and predict how environmental changes or agricultural management actions will impact multiple services. How do multiple ecosystem services vary across both space and time, at regional-to-national scales? To address this question, we quantified eight indicators of four ecosystem services across 290 Canadian agricultural landscapes in 1996, 2001, and 2006. We observed consistent correlations between pairs of services across the 290 ecodistricts in each of the 3 years of our study. In particular, ecodistricts with high livestock production had low provision of most regulating services, while ecodistricts with high air quality (ammonia retention) also had high soil and water quality regulation services. However, these ‘snapshot’ correlations poorly predicted how pairs of services changed through time. Ecosystem service change from 1996–2001 to 2001–2006 (as measured by pairwise correlations) showed markedly different patterns than snapshot correlations. In particular, where livestock production increased between years, so did most regulating services. Ecosystem service bundles also showed similar divergent patterns. The distribution of ecosystem service “snapshot” bundles—sets of ecodistricts with similar levels of provision across multiple ecosystem services in a single year—was generally stable between 1996 and 2006; only 15% of ecodistricts changed bundle types in this time period. However, ecosystem service “change” bundles—sets of ecodistricts with similar changes in ecosystem service provision through time—were much more dynamic. Nearly 60% of ecodistricts exhibited a different set of ecosystem service changes from 2001 to 2006 compared to 1996 to 2001. Our results add to the growing evidence that relationships between services across space do not necessarily predict service change through time. Improved understanding of the spatial patterns and temporal dynamics of ecosystem services, and better understanding of underlying processes, is crucial to improve agricultural landscape management for multifunctionality and sustainability.

Improving the Protection of Children Against Air Pollution Threats in Romania � The RokidAIR Project Approach and Future Perspectives

2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 841-846
Author(s):  
Hai-Ying Liu ◽  
Daniel Dunea ◽  
Mihaela Oprea ◽  
Tom Savu ◽  
Stefania Iordache
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Health Assessment ◽  
Warning System ◽  
Personal Exposure ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Quality Maps

This paper presents the approach used to develop the information chain required to reach the objectives of the EEA Grants� RokidAIR project in two Romanian cities i.e., Targoviste and Ploiesti. It describes the PM2.5 monitoring infrastructure and architecture to the web-based GIS platform, the early warning system and the decision support system, and finally, the linking of air pollution to health effects in children. In addition, it shows the analysis performance of the designed system to process the collected time series from various data sources using the benzene concentrations monitored in Ploiesti. Moreover, this paper suggests that biomarkers, mobile technologies, and Citizens� Observatories are potential perspectives to improve data coverage by the provision of near-real-time air quality maps, and provide personal exposure and health assessment results, enabling the citizens� engagement and behavioural change. This paper also addresses new fields in nature-based solutions to improve air quality, and studies on air pollution and its mental health effects in the urban areas of Romania.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Equity and Regional Management of Some Urban Green Space Ecosystem Services: A Case Study of Main Urban Area of Xi’an City

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 813
Author(s):  
Hui Dang ◽  
Jing Li ◽  
Yumeng Zhang ◽  
Zixiang Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Green Space ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Deposition Flux ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Xi’An City

Urban green spaces can provide many types of ecosystem services for residents. An imbalance in the pattern of green spaces leads to an inequality of the benefits of such spaces. Given the current situation of environmental problems and the basic geographical conditions of Xi’an City, this study evaluated and mapped four kinds of ecosystem services from the perspective of equity: biodiversity, carbon sequestration, air purification, and climate regulation. Regionalization with dynamically constrained agglomerative clustering and partitioning (REDCAP) was used to obtain the partition groups of ecosystem services. The results indicate that first, the complexity of the urban green space community is low, and the level of biodiversity needs to be improved. The dry deposition flux of particulate matter (PM2.5) decreases from north to south, and green spaces enhance the adsorption of PM2.5. Carbon sequestration in the south and east is higher than that in the north and west, respectively. The average surface temperature in green spaces is lower than that in other urban areas. Second, urban green space resources in the study area are unevenly distributed. Therefore, ecosystem services in different areas are inequitable. Finally, based on the regionalization of integrated ecosystem services, an ecosystem services cluster was developed. This included 913 grid spaces, 12 partitions, and 5 clusters, which can provide a reference for distinct levels of ecosystem services management. This can assist urban managers who can use these indicators of ecosystem service levels for planning and guiding the overall development pattern of green spaces. The benefits would be a maximization of the ecological functions of green spaces, an improvement of the sustainable development of the city, and an improvement of people’s well-being.

scholarly journals Morpho-Physio-Biochemical Attributes of Roadside Trees as Potential Tools for Biomonitoring of Air Quality and Environmental Health in Urban Areas

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 236
Author(s):  
Ha Na You ◽  
Myeong Ja Kwak ◽  
Sun Mi Je ◽  
Jong Kyu Lee ◽  
Yea Ji Lim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Environmental Health ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Biochemical Parameters ◽  
Lipid Peroxide ◽  
Platanus Occidentalis ◽  
Physiological Variables ◽  
Sources Of Pollution ◽  
Species Specific

Environmental pollution is an important issue in metropolitan areas, and roadside trees are directly affected by various sources of pollution to which they exhibit numerous responses. The aim of the present study was to identify morpho-physio-biochemical attributes of maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba L.) and American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.) growing under two different air quality conditions (roadside with high air pollution, RH and roadside with low air pollution, RL) and to assess the possibility of using their physiological and biochemical parameters as biomonitoring tools in urban areas. The results showed that the photosynthetic rate, photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiencies, and photochromic contents were generally low in RH in both G. biloba and P. occidentalis. However, water-use efficiency and leaf temperature showed high values in RH trees. Among biochemical parameters, in G. biloba, the lipid peroxide content was higher in RH than in RL trees, but in P. occidentalis, this content was lower in RH than in RL trees. In both species, physiological activities were low in trees planted in areas with high levels of air pollution, whereas their biochemical and morphological variables showed different responses to air pollution. Thus, we concluded that it is possible to determine species-specific physiological variables affected by regional differences of air pollution in urban areas, and these findings may be helpful for monitoring air quality and environmental health using trees.

scholarly journals The Influence of Friends on Teen Vaping: A Mixed-Methods Approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
pp. 6784
Author(s):  
Allison L. Groom ◽  
Thanh-Huyen T. Vu ◽  
Robyn L. Landry ◽  
Anshula Kesh ◽  
Joy L. Hart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Peer Influence ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Common Source ◽  
Sources Of Information

Vaping is popular among adolescents. Previous research has explored sources of information and influence on youth vaping, including marketing, ads, family, peers, social media, and the internet. This research endeavors to expand understanding of peer influence. Our hypothesis is that friends’ influence on teen vapers’ first electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) use varies by demographic variables and awareness of ENDS advertising. In August–October 2017, youth (n = 3174) aged 13–18 completed an online survey to quantify ENDS behaviors and attitudes and were invited to participate in follow-up online research in November-December 2017 to probe qualitative context around perceptions and motivations (n = 76). This analysis focused on the ENDS users, defined as having ever tried any ENDS product, from the survey (n = 1549) and the follow-up research (n = 39). Among survey respondents, friends were the most common source of vapers’ first ENDS product (60%). Most survey respondents tried their first ENDS product while “hanging out with friends” (54%). Among follow-up research participants, the theme of socializing was also prominent. ENDS advertising and marketing through social media had a strong association with friend networks; in fact, the odds of friends as source of the first vaping experience were 2 times higher for those who had seen ENDS ads on social media compared with other types of media. The influence of friends is particularly evident among non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanics/Latinos, those living in urban areas, those living in high-income households, those with higher self-esteem, and those who experiment with vaping. These findings support the premise that peer influence is a primary social influencer and reinforcer for vaping. Being included in a popular activity appears to be a strong driving force.

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