Underappreciated contributions of biogenic volatile organic compounds from urban green spaces to ozone pollution
<p>The use of urban green spaces (UGSs), such as parks and gardens, is widely promoted as a strategy to improve the urban atmospheric environment. However, this study reveals that it can exacerbate urban ozone (<span class="inline-formula">O<sub>3</sub></span>...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/25/5233/2025/acp-25-5233-2025.pdf |
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| Summary: | <p>The use of urban green spaces (UGSs), such as parks and gardens, is widely promoted as a strategy to improve the urban atmospheric environment. However, this study reveals that it can exacerbate urban ozone (<span class="inline-formula">O<sub>3</sub></span>) levels under certain conditions, as demonstrated by a September 2017 study in Guangzhou, China. Using the Weather Research and Forecasting model with the Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (WRF-MEGAN) and the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model, we assessed the impact of UGS-related biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions (hereafter referred to as UGS-BVOC emissions) on urban <span class="inline-formula">O<sub>3</sub></span>. Our findings indicate that the UGS-BVOC emissions in Guangzhou amounted to 666 <span class="inline-formula">Gg</span> (<span class="inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M5" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow><mo>∼</mo><mn mathvariant="normal">90</mn><mspace width="0.125em" linebreak="nobreak"/><mrow class="unit"><mi mathvariant="normal">Mg</mi><mspace linebreak="nobreak" width="0.125em"/><msup><mi mathvariant="normal">km</mi><mrow><mo>-</mo><mn mathvariant="normal">2</mn></mrow></msup></mrow></mrow></math><span><svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="67pt" height="15pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="829611066917dc3e298f9615c4617108"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="acp-25-5233-2025-ie00001.svg" width="67pt" height="15pt" src="acp-25-5233-2025-ie00001.png"/></svg:svg></span></span>), with isoprene (ISOP) and monoterpene (TERP) contributing remarkably to the total UGS-BVOC emissions. Compared to anthropogenic VOC (AVOC) and BVOC emissions, UGS-BVOC emissions account for <span class="inline-formula">∼33.45 <i>%</i></span> in the city center, and their inclusion in the model reduces ISOP underestimation. The study shows improved simulation mean biases for MDA8 (maximum daily 8 h average) <span class="inline-formula">O<sub>3</sub></span>, from <span class="inline-formula">−3.63</span> to <span class="inline-formula">−0.75 ppb</span> in the city center. Integrating UGS-BVOC emissions and UGS-LUCC emissions (where LUCC denotes land use cover change) enhances surface monthly mean <span class="inline-formula">O<sub>3</sub></span> by 1.7–3.7 ppb (<span class="inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M11" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow><mo>+</mo><mn mathvariant="normal">3.8</mn><mspace linebreak="nobreak" width="0.125em"/><mi mathvariant="italic">%</mi><mo>-</mo><mn mathvariant="normal">8.5</mn><mspace linebreak="nobreak" width="0.125em"/><mi mathvariant="italic">%</mi></mrow></math><span><svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="74pt" height="10pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="b3a8e7714b6bd260159656c531600718"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="acp-25-5233-2025-ie00002.svg" width="74pt" height="10pt" src="acp-25-5233-2025-ie00002.png"/></svg:svg></span></span>) and adds up to 8.9 ppb (<span class="inline-formula">+10.0 <i>%</i></span>) to MDA8 <span class="inline-formula">O<sub>3</sub></span> during pollution episodes. UGS-BVOC emissions alone increase monthly mean <span class="inline-formula">O<sub>3</sub></span> by 1.0–1.4 ppb (<span class="inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M15" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow><mo>+</mo><mn mathvariant="normal">2.3</mn><mspace width="0.125em" linebreak="nobreak"/><mi mathvariant="italic">%</mi><mo>-</mo><mn mathvariant="normal">3.2</mn><mspace width="0.125em" linebreak="nobreak"/><mi mathvariant="italic">%</mi></mrow></math><span><svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="74pt" height="10pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="0cf240f90f3e3e37c5a178d27d79bfac"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="acp-25-5233-2025-ie00003.svg" width="74pt" height="10pt" src="acp-25-5233-2025-ie00003.png"/></svg:svg></span></span>) in urban areas and contribute up to 2.9 ppb (<span class="inline-formula">+3.3 <i>%</i></span>) to MDA8 <span class="inline-formula">O<sub>3</sub></span> during pollution episodes. These impacts can extend to surrounding suburban and rural areas through regional transport, highlighting the need to accurately account for UGS-BVOC emissions to better manage air quality.</p> |
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| ISSN: | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |