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The role of forest in mitigating the impact of atmospheric dust pollution in a mixed landscape

  • Biomonitoring of atmospheric pollution: possibilities and future challenges
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Abstract

Atmospheric dust pollution, especially particulate matter below 2.5 μm, causes 3.3 million premature deaths per year worldwide. Although pollution sources are increasingly well known, the role of ecosystems in mitigating their impact is still poorly known. Our objective was to investigate the role of forests located in the surrounding of industrial and urban areas in reducing atmospheric dust pollution. This was tested using lichen transplants as biomonitors in a Mediterranean regional area with high levels of dry deposition. After a multivariate analysis, we have modeled the maximum pollution load expected for each site taking into consideration nearby pollutant sources. The difference between maximum expected pollution load and the observed values was explained by the deposition in nearby forests. Both the dust pollution and the ameliorating effect of forested areas were then mapped. The results showed that forest located nearby pollution sources plays an important role in reducing atmospheric dust pollution, highlighting their importance in the provision of the ecosystem service of air purification.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the financial support from Secil Companhia Geral de Cal e Cimento S.A. and for the logistic support of Antonio Fernando Nunes during the sampling. We acknowledge FCT-MCTES for SFRH/BPD/75425/2010 and Investigador FCT contract and European Union Seventh Framework Programme (GreeenSurge-ENV.2013.6.2-5).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Bloco C2, Piso 5, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal

    Artur Santos, Pedro Pinho, Silvana Munzi & Cristina Branquinho

  2. Centre for Natural Resources and the Environment, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa (CERENA-IST-UL), Lisbon, Portugal

    Pedro Pinho

  3. Secil Companhia Geral de Cal e Cimento, Lisbon, Portugal

    Maria João Botelho

  4. CICPSI, Centro de Investigação em Ciência Psicológica da Faculdade de Psicologia, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal

    José Manuel Palma-Oliveira

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  1. Artur Santos
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  2. Pedro Pinho
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  3. Silvana Munzi
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  4. Maria João Botelho
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  5. José Manuel Palma-Oliveira
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  6. Cristina Branquinho
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Correspondence to Pedro Pinho.

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Santos, A., Pinho, P., Munzi, S. et al. The role of forest in mitigating the impact of atmospheric dust pollution in a mixed landscape. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 12038–12048 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-8964-y

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