Environmental Monitoring and Assessment最新文献

{"title":"Satellite-driven assessment of methane trends, seasonal variability, and emission hotspots in Botswana’s Central and Ngamiland Regions","authors":"Boitshwarelo Lorato Masocha,&nbsp;Paidamwoyo Mhangara","doi":"10.1007/s10661-025-14609-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10661-025-14609-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study investigates methane, a potent greenhouse gas linked to global warming, using high-resolution satellite data from the Sentinel-5P TROPOMI between 2020 and 2023. The research analyzed trends, seasonal changes, and emission hotspots in two different regions of Botswana: Central and Ngamiland. These areas have different methane sources, including human activities and natural processes. The results indicate significantly varying mean CH₄ concentrations ranging from 1750 to 1900 ppb. The Central region has greater variability in concentrations with values between 1832.93 and 1888.86 ppb, compared to Ngamiland which has CH₄ distribution ranging from 1837.92 to 1872.99 ppb. Increased summer CH₄ levels are attributed by higher temperatures and wetter conditions that stimulate methanogenesis. In winter, levels lower due to cooler temperatures and dry conditions that reduce biological activity. Time-series analysis indicated an upward trend in both regions, suggesting an increase in emissions. The Mann–Kendall tests these significant upward trends in both areas. In late 2021, both regions showed positive anomalies, indicating potential methane risks in subsequent months/years. The ongoing rise in methane concentrations poses serious environmental and health threats to Botswana without effective action. Thus, this study supports focused mitigation strategies and seasonal management that aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action). This approach provides policymakers and environmentalists with valuable insights to combat climate change and support healthier, more sustainable communities.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":544,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Monitoring and Assessment","volume":"197 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10661-025-14609-y.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145129768","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatio-temporal evolution of ecological environment quality in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area: from the perspective of synergistic effects of natural and human activities","authors":"Zhonghao Chen,&nbsp;Tao Ming","doi":"10.1007/s10661-025-14595-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10661-025-14595-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The Three Gorges Reservoir Area is an important human activity area in the hinterland of China. There are many cities and major water conservancy projects in the area, and it is also an ecologically fragile area, which is highly sensitive to the complex terrain and the impact of the Three Gorges reservoir. As the key focus of the national regional development policy, the region involves a number of regional development strategic plans, such as the great protection of the Yangtze River, the construction of the Yangtze River economic belt, the rise strategy of central China, the conversion of farmland to forests, and resettlement. Therefore, its ecological environment quality and protection measures are highly valued by the state. However, the previous related research institutes still have the following shortcomings: First, the time series data time resolution is low. Secondly, the research methods And methods are not close enough to the regional geographical And human characteristics, which reduce the adaptability of the research results to a certain extent. In view of the above shortcomings, this study uses time series harmonic analysis algorithm to optimize image data based on Landsat remote Sensing images from 2000 to 2020 and Google Earth engine platform. Based on the traditional RSEI, the normalized water index and soil regulation vegetation index were added to build an improved remote sensing ecological index SRSEI for TGRA, which can effectively improve the ability of water identification and monitoring of sparse vegetation areas. Sen slope estimation and Mann–Kendall test were used to Analyze the spatio-temporal variation trend of SRSEI, And the driving mechanism of land use, elevation, climate, social economy, and other factors was explored by using geographic detector model. Get more reliable evaluation results and impact factors. The results show that the average SRSEI of TGRA from 2000 to 2020 is 0.529, And the overall ecological environment quality is at the upper middle level, And the area with slight improvement after 2010 accounts for more than 50%, showing a good trend as a whole. Single factor driving Analysis showed that land use And elevation were the dominant factors affecting the quality of ecological environment; The interaction showed that the synergistic effect of land use and other factors further magnified its impact on ecological quality. In conclusion, human activities may be the main reason for the change of ecological environment quality in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area in the past 20 years. This study can provide a scientific basis for the formulation and implementation of ecological and environmental protection policies in TGRA.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":544,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Monitoring and Assessment","volume":"197 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145136097","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Revealing the occurrence characteristics, interaction mechanisms, and health risk of phthalates in agricultural soil of arid regions across Northwest China","authors":"Guo-dong Kang,&nbsp;Peng Lei,&nbsp;Lei-lei Lu,&nbsp;Ning Wang,&nbsp;Meng-jiao Li,&nbsp;Liang-liang Liu,&nbsp;Rui-yun Sun,&nbsp;Sheng-hu Zhang,&nbsp;Yan-hua Liu,&nbsp;Ping Wu","doi":"10.1007/s10661-025-14627-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10661-025-14627-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Phthalate (PAE) contamination in agricultural soils has attracted global attention. However, the correlation between PAE occurrence and soil properties remains not fully clear, especially in typical arid regions. This study investigated six types of PAE at 19 sites in agricultural soils of arid regions across four Northwest China cities, and the relationship between PAE profiles and soil properties (including pH, total potassium/phosphorus/nitrogen (TK/TP/TN), soil organic matter (SOM), and heavy metals) was explored. Results revealed total PAE concentrations (Σ₆PAEs) ranged from 221.20 to 618.33 μg/kg, and the di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) dominated Σ₆PAEs, accounting for 75.87% to 83.08%. Regional analysis presented that DBP with TK, dimethyl phthalate (DMP) with SOM, and TP showed significant negative correlations (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05), indicating that PAEs might influence their own persistence by affecting element cycling and microbial activity during their degradation processes. Although pH showed a consistent positive correlation with DEHP, its correlations with DBP varied regionally, highlighting the complex interactions between pH and PAEs. Multiple heavy metals exhibited significant negative correlations with Σ₆PAEs and DEHP (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05), which might be attributed to competition between heavy metals and PAEs for adsorption sites on SOM, especially in arid regions with low organic matter conditions. Moreover, health risk assessment indicated that both the carcinogenic (CR &lt; 10⁻⁴) and the non-carcinogenic (HQ &lt; 1) risks were acceptable, but priority attention should be given to children. Overall, these results are expected to provide novel insights into understanding the occurrence characteristics and interaction mechanisms for PAE contamination risk control in arid regions.</p>","PeriodicalId":544,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Monitoring and Assessment","volume":"197 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145123821","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of mollusc habitat suitability of an anthropogenically altered tropical river in India","authors":"Md. Mofizul Hoque,&nbsp;Subodh Chandra Pal,&nbsp;Sudipto Mandal,&nbsp;Aznarul Islam","doi":"10.1007/s10661-025-14593-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10661-025-14593-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Mollusc habitat suitability (MHS) analysis is significant nowadays due to increasing anthropogenic interventions both structural (dam, barrage, weir, bridge) and non-structural (pollution and environmental damage), which lead to the degradation of their population and habitat. The present work has assessed the MHS using the habitat suitability index (HSI) model with the help of habitat water quality (C_WQ) and habitat substrate-suspended solids (C_SS) indices in the spatiotemporal dimension. This study exhibits that the C_WQ, C_SS and HSI are comparatively worse in the monsoon than in the other seasons due to higher velocity and water temperature, and they are in better condition in 2022–23 than in 2014–15 in the study area. Besides, HSI reveals that the MHS lies under good to excellent categories in pre-monsoon and excellent in post-monsoon seasons in the Damodar River and is high at station 5 in spatial dynamics due to favourable conditions (lower velocity and temperature) that exist in these seasons and station. The ANOVA indicates a significant spatiotemporal variation in the mollusc habitat quality variables in the study area. The hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) portrays a complex clustering; however, locations Ids. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are found to be clustered, implying that more or less similar mollusc habitat quality lies in these locations. The principal component analysis (PCA) infers that all the studied variables are major factors playing a significant role in controlling mollusc habitat suitability. This study will be highly useful for maintaining and conserving aquatic biodiversity and the ecological services provided by rivers. It is vital to mitigate pollution and restore rivers.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":544,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Monitoring and Assessment","volume":"197 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145123860","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the Bang Yai Canal and Phuket Bay in Phuket Province, Thailand","authors":"Sornsiri Phongphattarawat,&nbsp;Nut Songvorawit,&nbsp;Supatsara Khunsri,&nbsp;Parimase Charoennopakhun,&nbsp;Kannika Soda","doi":"10.1007/s10661-025-14573-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10661-025-14573-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a critical public health challenge, with surface waters serving as reservoirs for antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB). Among these, gram-negative enteric bacteria (GNEB) are recognized as major carriers of resistance genes and frequent causes of human infections. As a major tourism destination in Thailand, Phuket Province is likely to face increasing AMR-related issues. This study investigates water quality and the prevalence of ARB in the Bang Yai Canal, a key urban waterway in Phuket, and its transition into Phuket Bay. Water samples were collected from nine stations during the dry and rainy seasons of 2024. Total heterotrophic bacterial counts and GNEB resistant to amoxicillin, tetracycline, norfloxacin, and meropenem were examined in relation to water quality parameters. Results revealed significant spatial variation, with urban areas contributing substantially to ARB prevalence. Amoxicillin-resistant bacteria were the most prevalent, particularly among GNEB, while meropenem-resistant bacteria were consistently detected at most stations despite their low abundance. Seasonal variations indicated higher bacterial abundance upstream during the dry season and downstream during the rainy season, potentially driven by tourism and runoff dynamics. The coastal station exhibited a notably high proportion of antibiotic-resistant marine heterotrophic bacteria. Redundancy analysis identified turbidity and dissolved oxygen as significant factors influencing bacterial counts. Cluster analysis grouped stations based on water quality, with upstream and coastal sites exhibiting distinct profiles. This study underscores the critical role of urban activities in ARB dissemination and highlights the environmental and public health implications of ARB in coastal ecosystems, necessitating targeted mitigation and monitoring strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":544,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Monitoring and Assessment","volume":"197 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145100675","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of land use, geology, and seasonality on hydrogeochemical baseline variations in a watershed impacted by human activities in the eastern Amazon","authors":"Gabriel Negreiros Salomão,&nbsp;Roberto Dall’Agnol,&nbsp;Gabriel Soares de Almeida,&nbsp;Rafael Tarantino Amarante,&nbsp;Glariston Miranda Mello,&nbsp;Renato Oliveira da Silva Júnior,&nbsp;José Tasso Felix Guimarães,&nbsp;Marcio Sousa da Silva,&nbsp;Danieli Mara Ferreira,&nbsp;Paulo Rógenes Monteiro Pontes,&nbsp;Prafulla Kumar Sahoo,&nbsp;Eduardo Duarte Marques,&nbsp;Emmanoel Vieira da Silva Filho","doi":"10.1007/s10661-025-14565-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10661-025-14565-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Watershed monitoring is vital for ecosystem sustainability and contamination source identification. Such studies are scarce in the Amazon region. To address this, an integrated study was conducted to assess variations in baseline concentrations of Fe and potentially toxic elements in the Gelado Creek Watershed (GCW), eastern Amazon. This watershed, situated in the Carajás Mineral Province, hosts two world-class Fe mines with tailing dams. It has also faced extensive deforestation due to rapid human settlement and artisanal mining. Surface water samples were collected at 12 sites within the GCW during 25 monthly field campaigns from April 2016 to April 2018, and physicochemical analyses were conducted. Data processing included statistical treatment, geospatial characterization, multivariate analysis, and hydrogeochemical baseline determination. Time-series maps and multivariate hydrogeochemical patterns revealed four main catchment groups. One group, influenced by a preserved forested area, was considered a reference for determining the hydrogeochemical background. The other three were influenced by pasturelands, urban areas, and mining tailing dams. The highest concentrations of Fe, Ag, Ba, Cd, and Hg were observed at the site influenced by an urban area. High concentrations were also observed in areas with predominant pastureland due to soil exposure and runoff. Moderate to high dissolved Mn concentrations were registered, potentially from water-sediment-tailings interactions and high precipitation events. This hypothesis requires validation through robust chemical analysis and detailed assessment of extreme precipitation. This integrated assessment is a powerful tool for identifying contamination sources, highlighting the need for similar studies to understand geogenic and anthropogenic impacts in the Amazon.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":544,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Monitoring and Assessment","volume":"197 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10661-025-14565-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145110581","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rapid and automated mapping method of Spartina alterniflora combines tidal imagery and phenological characteristics","authors":"Ruilin Wang,&nbsp;Yanan Su,&nbsp;Xiaofang Sun,&nbsp;Meng Wang,&nbsp;Min Feng","doi":"10.1007/s10661-025-14580-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10661-025-14580-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>S<i>partina alterniflora</i> exhibits vigorous growth and remarkable adaptability, enabling its rapid expansion throughout the intertidal zones of Shandong Province. As an invasive species, it not only disrupts native coastal ecosystems but also incurs significant economic burdens. Although substantial resources have been allocated by local authorities for its control, a comprehensive evaluation of these management efforts remains lacking. In particular, the influence of tidal dynamics on the spatial distribution of <i>S.</i> <i>alterniflora</i> has been largely overlooked, underscoring the need for advanced remote sensing approaches to accurately monitor. In this study, we propose a method to monitor <i>S. alterniflora</i> by combining low-tide imagery with phenological features. By utilizing low-tide images, we effectively overcome the impact of tidal fluctuations on monitoring accuracy. Using the Maximum Spectral Index Synthesis and Otsu algorithms, we achieved efficient, automated classification and change detection of <i>S. alterniflora</i> in Shandong Province, with an overall accuracy of 90.55%. In 2019, the total area of <i>S. alterniflora</i> was 11,386.05 ha, which decreased to 1787.13 ha by 2023. The distribution of <i>S. alterniflora</i> in Shandong followed a trend of initial increase followed by a decrease from 2019 to 2023. By 2023, the eradication rate had reached 91.10%, demonstrating the outstanding success of the province’s management efforts. Although the management efforts have been somewhat effective, they have also led to significant carbon storage loss. These results validate the effectiveness of combining low-tide imagery with phenological features, offering a reference for similar studies in other coastal regions. Future S. <i>alterniflora</i> management should incorporate more scientific approaches, including the consideration of carbon emissions, to promote the sustainable development of coastal ecosystems.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":544,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Monitoring and Assessment","volume":"197 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145110579","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrating pollution indices, spatial interpolation, and machine learning for soil contamination analysis along the Zarqa River, Jordan","authors":"Osama Al-Qawasmeh,&nbsp;Habes Ghrefat","doi":"10.1007/s10661-025-14586-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10661-025-14586-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study assesses soil contamination along the Zarqa River (ZR) in Jordan by integrating pollution indices, geostatistical interpolation, and machine learning models. We collected 34 soil samples from agricultural lands within the study area. Samples were analyzed for Fe, Mn, Zn, Co, and Cr concentrations using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Organic matter (OM), soil texture, carbonate, pH, Fe₂O₃, Al₂O₃, and SiO₂ oxides were measured using standardized laboratory protocols. Elevation and slope were derived from a digital elevation model (DEM) with a spatial resolution of 12.5 m. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was applied to Landsat 8 OLI data. Pollution levels were assessed using the enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (CF), and geoaccumulation index (Igeo). The results showed that Co exhibited the highest contamination potential, with average values of 5.3, 3.72, and 1.48 for EF, CF, and Igeo, respectively, indicating significant enrichment and considerable contamination. In contrast, Cr exhibited the lowest values across all indices, indicating a natural origin. Of the seven tested models, XGBoost demonstrated the highest predictive accuracy for Fe (<i>R</i>² = 0.998). The decision tree and geographically weighted regression models also demonstrated robust performance for Zn, Mn, Cr, and Co. The integration of pollution indices, GIS, and machine learning models provided a high-resolution assessment of contamination hotspots. These findings provide practical implications for environmental monitoring, sustainable land-use planning, and soil pollution mitigation in the ZR basin.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":544,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Monitoring and Assessment","volume":"197 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145110580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Heavy metal contamination in street dust: source identification and health risk assessment in an urban Bangladeshi setting","authors":"Md. Hasibur Rahaman,&nbsp;Md. Alinur Rahman,&nbsp;Rahamoni Khanam,&nbsp;Minhaz Ahmed,&nbsp;Md. Sayedul Islam,&nbsp;Fahim Muntasir Rabbi,&nbsp;Md. Kamrul Hasan,&nbsp;Md. Akteruzzaman,&nbsp;Mohammad Mahfuzur Rahman","doi":"10.1007/s10661-025-14549-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10661-025-14549-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study investigates heavy metal (HM) contamination in street dust (SD) from 30 sites in Narayanganj, Bangladesh. Chromium (Cr) and copper (Cu) levels exceeded background values by five and ten times, respectively, and were among the highest reported worldwide when compared to urban datasets from South Asia, China, and other regions. Source apportionment using principal component analysis (PCA) and positive matrix factorization (PMF) indicates that manufacturing industries and traffic emissions are the primary potential sources. Müller’s geo-accumulation index classified copper as “moderately to strongly polluted” and cadmium as “strongly to extremely polluted.” Risk indices indicate that potential carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks were notably higher for children, mainly through ingestion. These findings underscore critical health risks in urban environments and necessitate targeted mitigation strategies for industrial emissions and traffic pollution.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":544,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Monitoring and Assessment","volume":"197 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145110595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating particulate matter and heavy metal accumulation, and air pollution tolerance in roadside woody plants, Cheongju City, South Korea","authors":"Jihye Park,&nbsp;Huong-Thi Bui,&nbsp;Eunyoung Lee,&nbsp;Bong-Ju Park","doi":"10.1007/s10661-025-14614-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10661-025-14614-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Urban air pollution has risen because of increased traffic and industrial processes in rapidly expanding cities. Particulate matter (PM), a type of air pollution composed of a mixture of microscopic solid particles or liquid droplets, is among the most common pollutants. Plants, with their ability to absorb various contaminants, can help reduce air pollution. This study examined PM and heavy metals (HMs) accumulation in seven woody plant species that are commonly planted on South Korean city roadsides. The plant's air pollution tolerance index (APTI) was calculated using the leaf biochemical parameters (pH of leaf extract, relative water content, total chlorophyll, and ascorbic acid) to assess how the plants responded to air pollutants. <i>Pinus densiflora</i> was the most effective at accumulating PM on the leaf surface and wax layer, implying that it could be an ideal species to improve urban air quality. Furthermore, a strong positive correlation was found between the amount of epicuticular wax in leaves, ascorbic acid, and total PM buildup. Among the HMs, Al, Fe, and Zn were detected in the highest amount in all chosen plant species. While Zn is known to be associated with traffic emissions due to tire wear and brake dust, the elevated levels of Al and Fe lkely reflect contributions form both vehicular activity and resuspended soil particles near roadsides. <i>Taxus cuspidata</i> exhibited the highest APTI (8.91) and was classified as “tolerant,” and <i>Zelkova serrata</i> showed the lowest APTI (4.27) and was classified as “sensitive.” This study suggests that selecting plant species with high PM and HMs accumulation potential and high APTI scores may contribute to improving urban air quality when strategically incorporated into landscape planning.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":544,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Monitoring and Assessment","volume":"197 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145110578","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}