Paula Ballikaya

• Doctor of Philosophy
• PhD Candidate at University of Zurich

Rapid industrialization has led to a dramatic increase in air pollution. In China, the factors driving the abundance and composition of smog, particularly fine particulate matter, remain poorly understood, and short-term air pollution data are available from few air quality monitoring networks. Using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass s...

In a greenhouse experiment, silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) were applied on European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) leaves using the droplet application method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses showed that after 24 h silver nanoparticles were mostly present in aggregates or as single particles on the surface of the leaf, surrounding or coverin...

Trees have been used for phytoremediation and as biomonitors of air pollution. However, the mechanisms in trees mitigating nanoparticle pollution in the environment are still unclear. We investigated whether two important tree species, European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), are able to take up and transport differ...

Northern China is experiencing pronounced warming and drying, with potentially dire implications for the health of the region's forests. It is of the highest importance to explore the growth response mechanisms of Pinus tabuliformis Carr., the important natural conifer in northern China, to identify the appropriate forest management practices. We u...

Plastic contamination of ecosystems has increased dramatically over the last decades, raising concerns about the negative impacts of plastic particles on aquatic and terrestrial systems. In recent years, the focus of most research has shifted from large fragments (macroplastic) to micro- (<5 mm) and more recently to nano-plastic (<1000 nm) particle...

Industrial activities and human population growth have resulted in an unprecedented increase in the release of particulate matter (PM) into the environment. Nanoparticle (NP) contamination is widespread and affects all terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, putting humans and environment at risk. Several studies on the impact of PM and NPs on human he...

Introduction: As the global demand for seafood is rising rapidly with a growing population consuming larger amounts of fish on their diets, most of the additional demand is now met by aquaculture. Aquaculture has the potential to feed millions of people, but wastes accumulate and will degrade the production system and the landscapes by adding exces...