Central parks as air quality oases in the tropical Andean city of Quito

Abstract

Urban ecosystem is an intricate agglomeration of human, fauna and flora populations coexisting in natural and artificial environments. As a city develops and expands over time; it may become unbalanced, affecting the quality of ecosystem and urban services and leading to environmental and health problems. Fine particulate matter (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm - PM_2.5) is the air pollutant posing the greatest risk to human health. Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, exhibits a high occurrence of exposure to unhealthy levels of PM_2.5 due to a combination of natural and social variables. This study focused on three central parks of this high elevation city, investigating the spatial distribution of PM_2.5 concentrations. The particle pollution was then modeled using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Hazardous instantaneous levels of PM_2.5 were consistently found on the edges of the parks along busy avenues, which are also the most frequented areas. This raises concerns about both short- and long-term exposures to toxic traffic pollution in recreational areas within urban dwellings in the global south. The NDVI model successfully predicted the spatial concentrations of PM_2.5 in a smaller urban park, suggesting its potential application in other cities. However, further research is required to validate its effectiveness.