Tropospheric NO2 concentrations derived from spaceborne measurements of Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) on board ERS 2 and Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Cartography (SCIAMACHY) on board Envisat, respectively, for the time period of 1996

The effect of automobile pollution on floral pigments of Caesalpinia pulcherrima Suotz. and Nerium indicum Miq. was studied. A decrease in Anthocyanin content in flowers of plants growing near Agra-Mumbai Road NH-3 was observed. There was 8 to 35% reduction noted in floral pigments. Nerium indicum flowers were found more affected than Caesalpinia pulcherrima.

Parisian pollution is nothing compared with that of Beijing or Mexico City. Yet Paris, with 11 million people crammed into a region just 20 kilometres across, is to take centre stage in a new research project on the impact of megacities on air pollution. The MEGAPOLI project, which starts next month, will focus on building regional air-pollution models for every city in the world with a population of more than five million. It encompasses 23 research organizations from 11 European countries, along with 24 collaborating partners outside Europe.

As we become an ever more urban species, cities will be a crucial front in the fight against climate change. Scientists, architects and planners must join forces to make our metropolitan future clean and sustainable. (Editorial)

Air pollution data in Bangkok, Thailand, indicate that levels of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ? 10 ?m (PM10) are significantly higher than in most cities in North America and Western Europe, where the health effects of PM10 are well documented. However, the pollution mix, seasonality, and demographics are different from those in developed Western countries. It is important, therefore, to determine whether the large metropolitan area of Bangkok is subject to similar effects of PM10.

Countries worldwide are expending significant resources to improve air quality partly to improve the health of their citizens. Are these societal expenditures improving public health? The objective of this study was to consider these issues by tracking the risk of death associated with outdoor air
pollution over both space and time in Canadian cities.