Dear Colleagues,

Nature-based solutions provide a strategic intervention to increase resilience and mitigate the adverse impacts of urbanization, industrial processes, and climate change. You are invited to contribute original research and review articles focused on the use of nature-based solutions to support air pollution abatement, carbon sequestration, climate resilience, phytoremediation, thermal comfort, and urban sustainability for healthy and liveable neighborhoods, cities, and communities. Research on the interactions between nature-based solutions and air quality, climatic processes, and heat across different urban, suburban and peri-urban morphologies, is also appropriate for inclusion in this Special Issue. Contributions may include experimental field research, modelling studies, biometeorological surveys, and methods and techniques for evaluating the impact of nature-based solutions on climatic conditions.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Interactions between nature-based solutions and air quality;
• Climate-sensitive nature-based solutions for sustainable cities;
• Urban climate conditions (e.g., UHI, humidity, radiation, precipitation, wind) and nature-based solutions;
• Nature-based solutions and blue carbon;
• Nature-based solutions for phytoremediation;
• Nature-based solutions for carbon sequestration;
• Nature-based solutions for urban heat and health;
• Nature-based solutions for sustainable development.

Dr. Vidya Anderson
Prof. Dr. William A. Gough
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Authors: William A. Gough, Vidya Anderson, and Matej Zgela

Air pollutants, NO, NO₂, and O₃, were examined from October to December 2020 and compared to a 10-year (2010–2019) climatology of these pollutants for two monitoring sites in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, coinciding with local lockdown measures during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, to provide greater spatial analysis, satellite derived NO₂ values were sampled during the same time period. Consistent with first wave results, NO and NO₂ values were lower than any of the preceding 10 years at the two Toronto sites for both weekdays and weekends. Ozone concentrations did not have a corresponding decrease and in fact increased for weekdays, similar to other parts of the world. The well-documented ozone weekend effect was considerably muted during the morning rush hour throughout this pandemic period. Due to the declining available of sunlight during this second wave period compared to the first (April to June), the ozone weekend effect was not as strong. A Fisher exact test on hourly averaged data revealed statistically significant record hourly minimums for NO and NO₂, but this was not found for ozone, consistent with the aggregate ranking results. These findings are likely the result of considerably reduced vehicular traffic during this time and ozone chemistry in a NOx-saturated (VOC limited) environment. This has important implications for ozone abatement strategies. The greater spatial representation provided by the satellite data illustrates linkages to nature-based solutions, specifically urban vegetation and forests, on NO₂ values.

2. Title: “Nature-based evolution: Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) systems in the application of blue-green infrastructure”

Authors: Vidya Anderson and Manavvi Suneja

Throughout history, humans have learned to understand, interpret, interact and adapt to their biophysical environments. This has generated a body of knowledge and traditional wisdom of nature-based solutions to manage environmental change. Colonization, industrialization, and urbanization have transformed spatial relationships, resulting in fragmented blue-green networks within the landscape. A review of traditional blue-green practices is presented to emphasize the importance of integrating TEK in nature-based decision-making for climate resilient cities.  

3. Title: "Healing by design: Using nature-based solutions to cope with eco-anxiety and solastalgia"

Authors: Vidya Anderson, William A. Gough, and Branka Agic

Nature-based solutions (NbS) can support the creation of healthier communities through sustainable urban development. In addition to helping to build more climate resilient cities, NbS can provide a mechanism to cope with the mental health impacts caused by environmental change. Through systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis, an analysis of the beneficial effects of NbS in coping with eco-anxiety and solastalgia is presented. NbS could provide a viable strategy to address the mental health impacts associated with a rapidly changing climate.