Estimation of plant pollution removal capacity based on intensive air quality measurements

This study investigated the role of present vegetation in improving air quality in Bucharest (Romania) by analyzing six years of air quality data (PM10 PM 10 and NO2) 2 ) from multiple monitoring stations. The target value for human health protection is regularly exceeded for PM 10 and not for NO2 2 over time. Road traffic has substantially contributed (over 70%) to ambient PM 10 and NO2 2 levels. The results showed high seasonal variations in pollutant concentrations, with a pronounced effect of vegetation in reducing PM 10 and NO2 2 levels. Indeed, air quality improvements of 7% for PM 10 and 25% for NO2 2 during the growing season were reported. By using Principal Component Analysis and pollution data subtraction methodology, we have disentangled the impact of vegetation on air pollution and observed distinct annual patterns, particularly higher differences in PM 10 and NO2 2 concentrations during the warm season. Despite limitations such as a lack of full tree inventory for Bucharest and a limited number of monitoring stations, the study highlighted the efficiency of urban vegetation to mitigate air pollution.