Urban edge trees: Urban form and meteorology drive elemental carbon deposition to canopies and soils. (1st December 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ponette-González, Alexandra G.; Chen, Dongmei; Elderbrock, Evan; Rindy, Jenna E.; Barrett, Tate E.; Luce, Brett W.; Lee, Jun-Hak; Ko, Yekang; Weathers, Kathleen C.
• Is Part Of: Environmental pollution. Volume 314(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-12-01
• Subjects: Air quality -- Edge effects -- Elemental carbon -- Particulate matter -- LiDAR -- Throughfall; Pollution -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Environmental Pollution -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Périodiques; Pollution -- Aspect de l'environnement -- Périodiques; Pollution -- Effets physiologiques -- Périodiques; Pollution; Pollution -- Environmental aspects; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 363.73
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120197
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0269-7491

Abstract

Abstract: Urban tree canopies are a significant sink for atmospheric elemental carbon (EC)––an air pollutant that is a powerful climate-forcing agent and threat to human health. Understanding what controls EC deposition to urban trees is therefore important for evaluating the potential role of vegetation in air pollution mitigation strategies. We estimated wet, dry, and throughfall EC deposition for oak trees at 53 sites in Denton, TX. Spatial data and airborne discrete-return LiDAR were used to compute predictors of EC deposition, including urban form characteristics, and meteorologic and topographic factors. Dry and throughfall EC deposition varied 14-fold across this urban ecosystem and exhibited significant variability from spring to fall. Generalized additive modeling and multiple linear regression analyses showed that urban form strongly influenced tree-scale variability in dry EC deposition: traffic count as well as road length and building height within 100–150 m of trees were positively related to leaf-scale dry deposition. Rainfall amount and extreme wind-driven rain from the direction of major pollution sources were significant drivers of throughfall EC. Our findings indicate that complex configurations of roads, buildings, and vegetation produce "urban edge trees" that contribute to heterogeneous EC deposition patterns across urban systems, with implications for greenspace planning. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: Urban trees scrub elemental carbon (EC) from the atmosphere. Dry and throughfall EC deposition varied 14-fold across the city. Dry EC deposition increased while throughfall EC decreased from spring to fall. Trees near roads and buildings––"urban edge trees'––contribute to heterogeneous EC deposition. Extreme wind and rain transport EC to the ground.