Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Science

Beijing's isoprene-emitting trees highlight ozone risks in greener, hotter cities

Amid current heat waves, urban greening is once again moving to the center of public debate. Greener cities are generally expected to have cleaner air because trees capture airborne particles, absorb gaseous pollutants and cool urban neighborhoods. But trees also emit biogenic volatile organic compo...

Beijing's isoprene-emitting trees highlight ozone risks in greener, hotter cities
Image: Phys.org
Amid current heat waves, urban greening is once again moving to the center of public debate. Greener cities are generally expected to have cleaner air because trees capture airborne particles, absorb gaseous pollutants and cool urban neighborhoods. But trees also emit biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) that, in the presence of sunlight and nitrogen oxides (NOx), can contribute to ground-level ozone formation.

Originally published at Phys.org

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