1
|
Mailloux BJ, McGillis C, Maenza-Gmelch T, Culligan PJ, He MZ, Kaspi G, Miley M, Komita-Moussa E, Sanchez TR, Steiger E, Zhao H, Cook EM. Large-scale determinants of street tree growth rates across an urban environment. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0304447. [PMID: 38990886 PMCID: PMC11239067 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Urban street trees offer cities critical environmental and social benefits. In New York City (NYC), a decadal census of every street tree is conducted to help understand and manage the urban forest. However, it has previously been impossible to analyze growth of an individual tree because of uncertainty in tree location. This study overcomes this limitation using a three-step alignment process for identifying individual trees with ZIP Codes, address, and species instead of map coordinates. We estimated individual growth rates for 126,362 street trees (59 species and 19% of 2015 trees) using the difference between diameter at breast height (DBH) from the 2005 and 2015 tree censuses. The tree identification method was verified by locating and measuring the DBH of select trees and measuring a set of trees annually for over 5 years. We examined determinants of tree growth rates and explored their spatial distribution. In our newly created NYC tree growth database, fourteen species have over 1000 unique trees. The three most abundant tree species vary in growth rates; London Planetree (n = 32,056, 0.163 in/yr) grew the slowest compared to Honeylocust (n = 15,967, 0.356 in/yr), and Callery Pear (n = 15,902, 0.334 in/yr). Overall, Silver Linden was the fastest growing species (n = 1,149, 0.510 in/yr). Ordinary least squares regression that incorporated biological factors including size and the local urban form indicated that species was the major factor controlling growth rates, and tree stewardship had only a small effect. Furthermore, tree measurements by volunteer community scientists were as accurate as those made by NYC staff. Examining city wide patterns of tree growth indicates that areas with a higher Social Vulnerability Index have higher than expected growth rates. Continued efforts in street tree planting should utilize known growth rates while incorporating community voices to better provide long-term ecosystem services across NYC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brian J Mailloux
- Environmental Science Department, Barnard College, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Clare McGillis
- Department of Civil Engineering & Engineering Mechanics, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States of America
| | | | - Patricia J Culligan
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Mike Z He
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Gabriella Kaspi
- Environmental Science Department, Barnard College, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Madeline Miley
- Environmental Science Department, Barnard College, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Ella Komita-Moussa
- Environmental Science Department, Barnard College, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Tiffany R Sanchez
- Department of Environment Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Ella Steiger
- Environmental Science Department, Barnard College, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Haokai Zhao
- Department of Civil Engineering & Engineering Mechanics, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth M Cook
- Environmental Science Department, Barnard College, New York, NY, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Warner K, Sonti NF, Cook EM, Hallett RA, Hutyra LR, Reinmann AB. Urbanization exacerbates climate sensitivity of eastern United States broadleaf trees. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2024; 34:e2970. [PMID: 38602711 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Tree growth is a key mechanism driving carbon sequestration in forest ecosystems. Environmental conditions are important regulators of tree growth that can vary considerably between nearby urban and rural forests. For example, trees growing in cities often experience hotter and drier conditions than their rural counterparts while also being exposed to higher levels of light, pollution, and nutrient inputs. However, the extent to which these intrinsic differences in the growing conditions of trees in urban versus rural forests influence tree growth response to climate is not well known. In this study, we tested for differences in the climate sensitivity of tree growth between urban and rural forests along a latitudinal transect in the eastern United States that included Boston, Massachusetts, New York City, New York, and Baltimore, Maryland. Using dendrochronology analyses of tree cores from 55 white oak trees (Quercus alba), 55 red maple trees (Acer rubrum), and 41 red oak trees (Quercus rubra) we investigated the impacts of heat stress and water stress on the radial growth of individual trees. Across our three-city study, we found that tree growth was more closely correlated with climate stress in the cooler climate cities of Boston and New York than in Baltimore. Furthermore, heat stress was a significant hindrance to tree growth in higher latitudes while the impacts of water stress appeared to be more evenly distributed across latitudes. We also found that the growth of oak trees, but not red maple trees, in the urban sites of Boston and New York City was more adversely impacted by heat stress than their rural counterparts, but we did not see these urban-rural differences in Maryland. Trees provide a wide range of important ecosystem services and increasing tree canopy cover was typically an important component of urban sustainability strategies. In light of our findings that urbanization can influence how tree growth responds to a warming climate, we suggest that municipalities consider these interactions when developing their tree-planting palettes and when estimating the capacity of urban forests to contribute to broader sustainability goals in the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kayla Warner
- Environmental Sciences Initiative, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Environmental Science, Barnard College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Nancy Falxa Sonti
- USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Elizabeth M Cook
- Department of Environmental Science, Barnard College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Richard A Hallett
- USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Bayside, New York, USA
| | - Lucy R Hutyra
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Andrew B Reinmann
- Environmental Sciences Initiative, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Geography and Environmental Science, Hunter College, New York, New York, USA
- Institute for Sustainable Cities, Hunter College, New York, New York, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Xie A, Wang Y, Xiao L, Wang Y, Liao S, Yang M, Su S, Meng S, Liu H. Plasticity in resource allocation of the invasive Phytolacca americana: Balancing growth, reproduction, and defense along urban-rural gradients. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 937:173532. [PMID: 38802014 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
In response to varying environments along urban and rural gradients, invasive plants may strategically allocate resources to enhance their invasiveness. However, how invasive plants balance their resources for growth, reproduction, and defense as responses to biotic and abiotic factors across these gradients remain unclear. We conducted field surveys on the growth, reproduction, and herbivory of the invasive species Phytolacca americana across diverse urban and rural habitats. Leaf samples were collected to analyze the nutritional content, primary and secondary metabolites. We found that plant growth rates, specific leaf area, leaf nitrogen content, and concentrations of flavonoids and saponins were higher in urban habitats, while reproduction, herbivory, and carbon-to‑nitrogen ratios were lower than those in rural habitats. We also found a trade-off between growth rate and herbivory, as well as trade-offs among defense traits associated with herbivory (e.g., leaf mass per area, the inverse of leaf nitrogen content, and carbon‑nitrogen ratio) and the production of metabolites associated with abiotic stress tolerance (e.g., soluble sugars, flavonoids, and saponins). As earlier studies showed low levels of genetic diversity within and between populations, our findings suggest that the urban-rural gradient patterns of resource allocation are primarily phenotypic plasticity in response to herbivory in rural areas and abiotic factors in urban areas. Our study sheds light on the mechanisms by which urbanization affects plant invasions and offers insights for the implementation of their management strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anni Xie
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China
| | - Yajie Wang
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China
| | - Li Xiao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China; National Engineering Laboratory of Applied Technology for Forestry & Ecology in Southern China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China.
| | - Yuanyuan Wang
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China
| | - Shuang Liao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China
| | - Miao Yang
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China
| | - Sese Su
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China
| | - Shibo Meng
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China
| | - Hongjia Liu
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, Hunan, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Dangulla M, Manaf LA, Ramli MF. Determining the response of vegetation to urbanization and land use/land cover changes using NDVI and NDBI differencing techniques.. [DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3050037/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Urban ecosystem is a self-organising system of unusual complexity, made up of different interacting social, economic, institutional and ecological subsystems. The response of vegetation to urbanization and accompanying land use and land cover changes in urban areas depends on the form of urbanization and climatic region. Many scholars believe that vegetation is destroyed or at least stunted by urbanization while others are of the opinion that urbanization enhances urban vegetation. This study assessed the relationship between urban expansion and tree density in Sokoto metropolis over a 32-year period using NDVI and NDBI differencing techniques. Results show that the net vegetation gain was 927.8ha while the built-up area expanded by 2918.1ha. Urbanization and urban expansion may have detrimental effects on urban vegetation but with controlled planning, it will have little or no negative impacts. The results show that management and policy measures can be taken in cities in order to mitigate the negative impacts of urbanization on urban vegetation. These findings are relevant in the planning and management of urban forests.
Collapse
|
5
|
Stagakis S, Feigenwinter C, Vogt R, Kalberer M. A high-resolution monitoring approach of urban CO 2 fluxes. Part 1 - bottom-up model development. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 858:160216. [PMID: 36402316 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Monitoring carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of urban areas is increasingly important to assess the progress towards the Paris Agreement goals for climate neutrality. Cities are currently voluntarily developing their local inventories, however, the approaches used across different cities are not systematically assessed, present consistency issues, neglect the biogenic fluxes and have restricted spatial and temporal resolution. In order to assess the accuracy of the urban emission inventories and provide information which is useful for planning local climate change mitigation actions, high resolution modelling approaches combined or evaluated with atmospheric observations are needed. This study presents a new high-resolution bottom-up (BU) model which provides hourly maps of all major components contributing to the local urban surface CO2 flux (i.e. building emissions, traffic emissions, human respiration, soil respiration, plant respiration, plant photosynthetic uptake) and can therefore be used for direct comparison with in-situ atmospheric observations and development of local scale atmospheric inversion methodologies. The model design aims to be simple and flexible using inputs that are available in most cities, facilitating transferability to different locations. The inputs are primarily based on open geospatial datasets, census information, road traffic monitoring and basic meteorological parameters. The model is applied on the city centre of Basel, Switzerland, for the year 2018 and the results are compared to a local inventory. It is demonstrated that the model captures the highly dynamic spatiotemporal variability of the urban CO2 fluxes according to main environmental drivers, population activity dynamics and geospatial information proxies. The annual modelled emissions from buildings and traffic are estimated 14.8 % and 9 % lower than the respective information derived by the local inventory. The differences are mainly attributed to the emissions from the industrial areas and the highways which are beyond the geographical coverage of the model.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stavros Stagakis
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Christian Feigenwinter
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Roland Vogt
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Markus Kalberer
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 27, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Sonti NF, Groffman PM, Nowak DJ, Henning JG, Avolio ML, Rosi EJ. Urban net primary production: Concepts, field methods, and Baltimore, Maryland, USA case study. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2562. [PMID: 35138007 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Given the large and increasing amount of urban, suburban, and exurban land use on Earth, there is a need to accurately assess net primary productivity (NPP) of urban ecosystems. However, the heterogeneous and dynamic urban mosaic presents challenges to the measurement of NPP, creating landscapes that may appear more similar to a savanna than to the native landscape replaced. Studies of urban biomass have tended to focus on one type of vegetation (e.g., lawns or trees). Yet a focus on the ecology of the city should include the entire urban ecosystem rather than the separate investigation of its parts. Furthermore, few studies have attempted to measure urban aboveground NPP (ANPP) using field-based methods. Most studies project growth rates from measurements of tree diameter to estimate annual ANPP or use remote sensing approaches. In addition, field-based methods for measuring NPP do not address any special considerations for adapting such field methods to urban landscapes. Frequent planting and partial or complete removal of herbaceous and woody plants can make it difficult to accurately quantify increments and losses of plant biomass throughout an urban landscape. In this study, we review how ANPP of urban landscapes can be estimated based on field measurements, highlighting the challenges specific to urban areas. We then estimated ANPP of woody and herbaceous vegetation over a 15-year period for Baltimore, MD, USA using a combination of plot-based field data and published values from the literature. Baltimore's citywide ANPP was estimated to be 355.8 g m-2 , a result that we then put into context through comparison with other North American Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites and mean annual precipitation. We found our estimate of Baltimore citywide ANPP to be only approximately half as much (or less) than ANPP at forested LTER sites of the eastern United States, and more comparable to grassland, oldfield, desert, or boreal forest ANPP. We also found that Baltimore had low productivity for its level of precipitation. We conclude with a discussion of the significance of accurate assessment of primary productivity of urban ecosystems and critical future research needs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nancy F Sonti
- USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Peter M Groffman
- Advanced Science Research Center at the Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York, USA
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York, USA
| | - David J Nowak
- USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Jason G Henning
- The Davey Institute and USDA Forest Service, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Meghan L Avolio
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Emma J Rosi
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, New York, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Morreale LL, Thompson JR, Tang X, Reinmann AB, Hutyra LR. Elevated growth and biomass along temperate forest edges. Nat Commun 2021; 12:7181. [PMID: 34893596 PMCID: PMC8664805 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27373-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Fragmentation transforms the environment along forest edges. The prevailing narrative, driven by research in tropical systems, suggests that edge environments increase tree mortality and structural degradation resulting in net decreases in ecosystem productivity. We show that, in contrast to tropical systems, temperate forest edges exhibit increased forest growth and biomass with no change in total mortality relative to the forest interior. We analyze >48,000 forest inventory plots across the north-eastern US using a quasi-experimental matching design. At forest edges adjacent to anthropogenic land covers, we report increases of 36.3% and 24.1% in forest growth and biomass, respectively. Inclusion of edge impacts increases estimates of forest productivity by up to 23% in agriculture-dominated areas, 15% in the metropolitan coast, and +2% in the least-fragmented regions. We also quantify forest fragmentation globally, at 30-m resolution, showing that temperate forests contain 52% more edge forest area than tropical forests. Our analyses upend the conventional wisdom of forest edges as less productive than intact forest and call for a reassessment of the conservation value of forest fragments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luca L Morreale
- Department of Earth & Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
- Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, MA, USA.
| | | | - Xiaojing Tang
- Department of Earth & Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrew B Reinmann
- Environmental Science Initiative, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, New York, NY, USA
- Graduate Program in Earth and Environmental Sciences and Biology, CUNY Graduate Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Hunter College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lucy R Hutyra
- Department of Earth & Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Smith IA, Winbourne JB, Tieskens KF, Jones TS, Bromley FL, Li D, Hutyra LR. A Satellite-Based Model for Estimating Latent Heat Flux From Urban Vegetation. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.695995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The impacts of extreme heat events are amplified in cities due to unique urban thermal properties. Urban greenspace mitigates high temperatures through evapotranspiration and shading; however, quantification of vegetative cooling potential in cities is often limited to simple remote sensing greenness indices or sparse, in situ measurements. Here, we develop a spatially explicit, high-resolution model of urban latent heat flux from vegetation. The model iterates through three core equations that consider urban climatological and physiological characteristics, producing estimates of latent heat flux at 30-m spatial resolution and hourly temporal resolution. We find strong agreement between field observations and model estimates of latent heat flux across a range of ecosystem types, including cities. This model introduces a valuable tool to quantify the spatial heterogeneity of vegetation cooling benefits across the complex landscape of cities at an adequate resolution to inform policies addressing the effects of extreme heat events.
Collapse
|
9
|
Impacts of strengthened warming by urban heat island on carbon sequestration of urban ecosystems in a subtropical city of China. Urban Ecosyst 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-021-01104-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
10
|
Hundertmark WJ, Lee M, Smith IA, Bang AHY, Chen V, Gately CK, Templer PH, Hutyra LR. Influence of landscape management practices on urban greenhouse gas budgets. CARBON BALANCE AND MANAGEMENT 2021; 16:1. [PMID: 33415575 PMCID: PMC7792215 DOI: 10.1186/s13021-020-00160-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND With a lack of United States federal policy to address climate change, cities, the private sector, and universities have shouldered much of the work to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas emissions. This study aims to determine how landcover characteristics influence the amount of carbon (C) sequestered and respired via biological processes, evaluating the role of land management on the overall C budget of an urban university. Boston University published a comprehensive Climate Action Plan in 2017 with the goal of achieving C neutrality by 2040. In this study, we digitized and discretized each of Boston University's three urban campuses into landcover types, with C sequestration and respiration rates measured and scaled to provide a University-wide estimate of biogenic C fluxes within the broader context of total University emissions. RESULTS Each of Boston University's three highly urban campuses were net sources of biogenic C to the atmosphere. While trees were estimated to sequester 0.6 ± 0.2 kg C m-2 canopy cover year-1, mulch and lawn areas in 2018 emitted C at rates of 1.7 ± 0.4 kg C m-2 year-1 and 1.4 ± 0.4 kg C m-2 year-1, respectively. C uptake by tree canopy cover, which can spatially overlap lawn and mulched landcovers, was not large enough to offset biogenic emissions. The proportion of biogenic emissions to Scope 1 anthropogenic emissions on each campus varied from 0.5% to 2%, and depended primarily on the total anthropogenic emissions on each campus. CONCLUSIONS Our study quantifies the role of urban landcover in local C budgets, offering insights on how landscaping management strategies-such as decreasing mulch application rates and expanding tree canopy extent-can assist universities in minimizing biogenic C emissions and even potentially creating a small biogenic C sink. Although biogenic C fluxes represent a small fraction of overall anthropogenic emissions on urban university campuses, these biogenic fluxes are under active management by the university and should be included in climate action plans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wiley J Hundertmark
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
| | - Marissa Lee
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Ian A Smith
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Ashley H Y Bang
- Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
| | - Vivien Chen
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Conor K Gately
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Pamela H Templer
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Lucy R Hutyra
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Hernandez JO, Maldia LS, Park BB. Research Trends and Methodological Approaches of the Impacts of Windstorms on Forests in Tropical, Subtropical, and Temperate Zones: Where Are We Now and How Should Research Move Forward? PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2020; 9:E1709. [PMID: 33291785 PMCID: PMC7762080 DOI: 10.3390/plants9121709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Windstorm is one of the destructive natural disturbances, but the scale-link extent to which recurrent windstorms influenced forests ecosystems is poorly understood in a changing climate across regions. We reviewed the synergistic impacts of windstorms on forests and assessed research trends and methodological approaches from peer-reviewed articles published from 2000 to 2020 in tropical (TRF), subtropical (SUF), and temperate (TEF) forests/zones, based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Overall, the majority of the reviewed studies were conducted in TRF (i.e., 40%), intermediate in SUF (i.e., 34%), and the lowest in TEF (i.e., 26%). Among the four levels of biological organization, the species-population and community-ecosystem levels had the highest number of study cases, while the molecular-cellular-individual and landscape levels had the lowest study cases in all forest types. Most of the articles reviewed dealt largely on tree mortality/survival and regeneration/succession for TRF, tree mortality/survival and species composition/richness/diversity for SUF, and stem density, gap dynamics, and regeneration/succession for TEF. However, research on the effects of windstorms on mycorrhizal symbioses, population genetics, and physiological adaptation, element fluxes via litterfall, litter decomposition, belowground processes, biological invasion, and tree health are less common in all forest types. Further, most of the studies were conducted in permanent plots but these studies mostly used observational design, while controlled studies are obviously limited. Consequently, more observational and controlled studies are needed on the topic reviewed, particularly studies at the molecular-cellular-individual and landscape levels, to help inform forest management decision-making about developing sustainable and resilient forests amid climate change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan O. Hernandez
- Department of Environment and Forest Resources, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea;
- Department of Forest Biological Sciences, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna 4031, Philippines;
| | - Lerma S.J. Maldia
- Department of Forest Biological Sciences, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna 4031, Philippines;
| | - Byung Bae Park
- Department of Environment and Forest Resources, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea;
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Trlica A, Hutyra LR, Morreale LL, Smith IA, Reinmann AB. Current and future biomass carbon uptake in Boston's urban forest. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 709:136196. [PMID: 31887518 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Revised: 12/15/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Ecosystem services provided by urban forests are increasingly included in municipal-level responses to climate change. However, the ecosystem functions that generate these services, such as biomass carbon (C) uptake, can differ substantially from nearby rural forest. In particular, the scaled effect of canopy spatial configuration on tree growth in cities is uncertain, as is the scope for medium-term policy intervention. This study integrates high spatial resolution data on tree canopy and biomass in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, with local measurements of tree growth rates to estimate the magnitude and distribution of annual biomass C uptake. We further project C uptake, biomass, and canopy cover change to 2040 under alternative policy scenarios affecting the planting and preservation of urban trees. Our analysis shows that 85% of tree canopy area was within 10 m of an edge, indicating essentially open growing conditions. Using growth models accounting for canopy edge effects and growth context, Boston's current biomass C uptake may be approximately double (median 10.9 GgC yr-1, 0.5 MgC ha-1 yr-1) the estimates based on rural forest growth, much of it occurring in high-density residential areas. Total annual C uptake to long-term biomass storage was equivalent to <1% of estimated annual fossil CO2 emissions for the city. In built-up areas, reducing mortality in larger trees resulted in the highest predicted increase in canopy cover (+25%) and biomass C stocks (236 GgC) by 2040, while planting trees in available road margins resulted in the greatest predicted annual C uptake (7.1 GgC yr-1). This study highlights the importance of accounting for the altered ecosystem structure and function in urban areas in evaluating ecosystem services. Effective municipal climate responses should consider the substantial fraction of total services performed by trees in developed areas, which may produce strong but localized atmospheric C sinks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Trlica
- Boston University, Department of Earth & Environment, 685 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Lucy R Hutyra
- Boston University, Department of Earth & Environment, 685 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Luca L Morreale
- Boston University, Department of Earth & Environment, 685 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Ian A Smith
- Boston University, Department of Earth & Environment, 685 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Andrew B Reinmann
- Environmental Sciences Initiative, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, 85 Saint Nicholas Terr., New York, NY, USA; PhD Program in Earth and Environmental Science, The Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 First Ave., Room 4306, New York, NY, USA; Department of Geography and Environmental Science, Hunter College, 695 Park Ave., Room 1006 HN, New York, NY, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Smith P, Calvin K, Nkem J, Campbell D, Cherubini F, Grassi G, Korotkov V, Le Hoang A, Lwasa S, McElwee P, Nkonya E, Saigusa N, Soussana J, Taboada MA, Manning FC, Nampanzira D, Arias‐Navarro C, Vizzarri M, House J, Roe S, Cowie A, Rounsevell M, Arneth A. Which practices co-deliver food security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and combat land degradation and desertification? GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:1532-1575. [PMID: 31637793 PMCID: PMC7079138 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/13/2019] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
There is a clear need for transformative change in the land management and food production sectors to address the global land challenges of climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation, combatting land degradation and desertification, and delivering food security (referred to hereafter as "land challenges"). We assess the potential for 40 practices to address these land challenges and find that: Nine options deliver medium to large benefits for all four land challenges. A further two options have no global estimates for adaptation, but have medium to large benefits for all other land challenges. Five options have large mitigation potential (>3 Gt CO2 eq/year) without adverse impacts on the other land challenges. Five options have moderate mitigation potential, with no adverse impacts on the other land challenges. Sixteen practices have large adaptation potential (>25 million people benefit), without adverse side effects on other land challenges. Most practices can be applied without competing for available land. However, seven options could result in competition for land. A large number of practices do not require dedicated land, including several land management options, all value chain options, and all risk management options. Four options could greatly increase competition for land if applied at a large scale, though the impact is scale and context specific, highlighting the need for safeguards to ensure that expansion of land for mitigation does not impact natural systems and food security. A number of practices, such as increased food productivity, dietary change and reduced food loss and waste, can reduce demand for land conversion, thereby potentially freeing-up land and creating opportunities for enhanced implementation of other practices, making them important components of portfolios of practices to address the combined land challenges.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pete Smith
- Institute of Biological & Environmental SciencesUniversity of AberdeenAberdeenUK
| | - Katherine Calvin
- Pacific Northwest National LaboratoryJoint Global Change Research InstituteCollege ParkMDUSA
| | - Johnson Nkem
- United Nations Economic Commission for AfricaAddis AbabaEthiopia
| | | | - Francesco Cherubini
- Industrial Ecology ProgrammeDepartment of Energy and Process EngineeringNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
| | | | | | - Anh Le Hoang
- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)HanoiVietnam
| | - Shuaib Lwasa
- Department of GeographyMakerere UniversityKampalaUganda
| | - Pamela McElwee
- Department of Human EcologyRutgers UniversityNew BrunswickNJUSA
| | | | - Nobuko Saigusa
- Center for Global Environmental ResearchNational Institute for Environmental StudiesTsukubaIbarakiJapan
| | - Jean‐Francois Soussana
- French National Institute for Agricultural, Environment and Food Research (INRA)ParisFrance
| | - Miguel Angel Taboada
- National Agricultural Technology Institute (INTA)Natural Resources Research Center (CIRN)Institute of SoilsCiudad Autónoma de Buenos AiresArgentina
| | - Frances C. Manning
- Institute of Biological & Environmental SciencesUniversity of AberdeenAberdeenUK
| | - Dorothy Nampanzira
- Department of Livestock and Industrial ResourcesMakerere UniversityKampalaUganda
| | - Cristina Arias‐Navarro
- French National Institute for Agricultural, Environment and Food Research (INRA)ParisFrance
| | | | - Jo House
- School of Geographical SciencesUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | - Stephanie Roe
- Department of Environmental SciencesUniversity of VirginiaCharlottesvilleVAUSA
- Climate FocusBerlinGermany
| | - Annette Cowie
- NSW Department of Primary IndustriesDPI AgricultureLivestock Industries CentreUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNSWAustralia
| | - Mark Rounsevell
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Atmospheric Environmental Research (KIT, IMK‐IFU)Garmisch‐PartenkirchenGermany
- Institute of GeographyUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Almut Arneth
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Atmospheric Environmental Research (KIT, IMK‐IFU)Garmisch‐PartenkirchenGermany
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Contrasting Trends of Forest Coverage between the Inland and Coastal Urban Groups of China over the Past Decades. SUSTAINABILITY 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/su11164451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
China is building forest urban groups through reforestation and afforestation. However, the fast process of urbanization inevitably conflicts with multiple vegetated areas around cities. Hence, it is critical to evaluate the changes in regional vegetation cover and its spatial pattern due to complex natural and anthropogenic factors. Nevertheless, systematic studies to quantify and compare the development of forest urban agglomerations were rarely reported. Based on a remote sensing landcover dataset from 1992 to 2015, this study investigated forest cover changes and the impacts on landscape pattern in several urban groups, and tried to explore their differences between the inland and coastal regions of China. The results showed that over the past 24 years, the forest coverage in the coastal urban agglomerations declined (103 km2/year) while it increased (26 km2/year) in the inland urban agglomerations. There was a certain conflict between forest and cropland for the coastal urban agglomerations where the forest area converted to cropland accounted for 61.9% of the total forest loss. The increase in forests coverage in inland urban agglomerations mainly came from grassland which nearly accounted for 66.47% of the total increase. The landscape diversity has also changed in areas where forests have changed significantly (e.g., Shanghai, Changzhi, and Jincheng).
Collapse
|
15
|
Ossola A, Hopton ME. Climate differentiates forest structure across a residential macrosystem. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 639:1164-1174. [PMID: 29929285 PMCID: PMC6734185 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.05.237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2018] [Revised: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/19/2018] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
The extent of urban ecological homogenization depends on how humans build, inhabit, and manage cities. Morphological and socio-economic facets of neighborhoods can drive the homogenization of urban forest cover, thus affecting ecological and hydrological processes, and ecosystem services. Recent evidence, however, suggests that the same biophysical drivers differentiating composition and structure of natural forests can further counteract the homogenization of urban forests. We hypothesize that climate can differentiate forest structure across residential macrosystems at regional-to-continental spatial scales. To test this hypothesis, forest structure (tree and shrub cover and volume) was measured using LiDAR data and multispectral imagery across a residential macrosystem composed 1.4 million residential parcels contained in 9 cities and 1503 neighborhoods. Cities were selected along an evapotranspiration (ET) gradient in the conterminous United States, ranging from the colder continental climate of Fargo, North Dakota (ET = 464.43 mm) to the hotter subtropical climate of Tallahassee, Florida (ET = 1000.47 mm). The relative effects of climate, urban morphology, and socio-economic variables on residential forest structure were assessed by using generalized linear models. Climate differentiated forest structure of the residential macrosystem as hypothesized. Average forest cover doubled along the ET gradient (0.39-0.78 m2 m-2), whereas average forest volume had a threefold increase (2.50-8.12 m3 m-2). Forest volume across neighborhoods increased exponentially with forest cover. Urban morphology had a greater effect in homogenizing forest structure on residential parcels compared to socio-economics. Climate and urban morphology variables best predicted residential forest structure, whereas socio-economic variables had the lowest predictive power. Results indicate that climate can differentiate forest structure across residential macrosystems and may counteract the homogenizing effects of urban morphology and socio-economic drivers at city-wide scales. This resonates with recent empirical work suggesting the existence of complex multi-scalar mechanisms that regulate ecological homogenization and ecosystem convergence among cities. The study initiates high-resolution assessments of forest structure across entire urban macrosystems and breaks new ground for research on the ecological and hydrological significance of urban vegetation at subcontinental scale.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Ossola
- Centre for Smart Green Cities, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Matthew E Hopton
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, 26 W. Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Jia W, Zhao S, Liu S. Vegetation growth enhancement in urban environments of the Conterminous United States. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2018; 24:4084-4094. [PMID: 29777620 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Revised: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Cities are natural laboratories for studying vegetation responses to global environmental changes because of their climate, atmospheric, and biogeochemical conditions. However, few holistic studies have been conducted on the impact of urbanization on vegetation growth. We decomposed the overall impacts of urbanization on vegetation growth into direct (replacement of original land surfaces by impervious built-up) and indirect (urban environments) components, using a conceptual framework and remotely sensed data for 377 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the conterminous United States (CONUS) in 2001, 2006, and 2011. Results showed that urban pixels are often greener than expected given the amount of paved surface they contain. The vegetation growth enhancement due to indirect effects occurred in 88.4%, 90.8%, and 92.9% of urban bins in 2001, 2006, and 2011, respectively. By defining offset value as the ratio of the absolute indirect and direct impact, we obtained that growth enhancement due to indirect effects compensated for about 29.2%, 29.5%, and 31.0% of the reduced productivity due to loss of vegetated surface area on average in 2001, 2006, and 2011, respectively. Vegetation growth responses to urbanization showed little temporal variation but large regional differences with higher offset value in the western CONUS than in the eastern CONUS. Our study highlights the prevalence of vegetation growth enhancement in urban environments and the necessity of differentiating various impacts of urbanization on vegetation growth, and calls for tailored field experiments to understand the relative contributions of various driving forces to vegetation growth and predict vegetation responses to future global change using cities as harbingers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wenxiao Jia
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Shuqing Zhao
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Shuguang Liu
- National Engineering Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Applied Technology for Southern China and College of Biological Science and Technology, Central South University of Forest and Technology, Changsha, China
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Changes in Gross Primary Production (GPP) over the Past Two Decades Due to Land Use Conversion in a Tourism City. ISPRS INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEO-INFORMATION 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/ijgi7020057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|
18
|
Ossola A, Hopton ME. Measuring urban tree loss dynamics across residential landscapes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 612:940-949. [PMID: 28886546 PMCID: PMC6123618 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2017] [Revised: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/10/2017] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
The spatial arrangement of urban vegetation depends on urban morphology and socio-economic settings. Urban vegetation changes over time because of human management. Urban trees are removed due to hazard prevention or aesthetic preferences. Previous research attributed tree loss to decreases in canopy cover. However, this provides little information about location and structural characteristics of trees lost, as well as environmental and social factors affecting tree loss dynamics. This is particularly relevant in residential landscapes where access to residential parcels for field surveys is limited. We tested whether multi-temporal airborne LiDAR and multi-spectral imagery collected at a 5-year interval can be used to investigate urban tree loss dynamics across residential landscapes in Denver, CO and Milwaukee, WI, covering 400,705 residential parcels in 444 census tracts. Position and stem height of trees lost were extracted from canopy height models calculated as the difference between final (year 5) and initial (year 0) vegetation height derived from LiDAR. Multivariate regression models were used to predict number and height of tree stems lost in residential parcels in each census tract based on urban morphological and socio-economic variables. A total of 28,427 stems were lost from residential parcels in Denver and Milwaukee over 5years. Overall, 7% of residential parcels lost one stem, averaging 90.87 stems per km2. Average stem height was 10.16m, though trees lost in Denver were taller compared to Milwaukee. The number of stems lost was higher in neighborhoods with higher canopy cover and developed before the 1970s. However, socio-economic characteristics had little effect on tree loss dynamics. The study provides a simple method for measuring urban tree loss dynamics within and across entire cities, and represents a further step toward high resolution assessments of the three-dimensional change of urban vegetation at large spatial scales.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Ossola
- US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Sustainable Technology Division, 26 W. Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Matthew E Hopton
- US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Sustainable Technology Division, 26 W. Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Hardiman BS, Wang JA, Hutyra LR, Gately CK, Getson JM, Friedl MA. Accounting for urban biogenic fluxes in regional carbon budgets. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 592:366-372. [PMID: 28324854 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2017] [Revised: 03/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/03/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Many ecosystem models incorrectly treat urban areas as devoid of vegetation and biogenic carbon (C) fluxes. We sought to improve estimates of urban biomass and biogenic C fluxes using existing, nationally available data products. We characterized biogenic influence on urban C cycling throughout Massachusetts, USA using an ecosystem model that integrates improved representation of urban vegetation, growing conditions associated with urban heat island (UHI), and altered urban phenology. Boston's biomass density is 1/4 that of rural forests, however 87% of Massachusetts' urban landscape is vegetated. Model results suggest that, kilogram-for-kilogram, urban vegetation cycles C twice as fast as rural forests. Urban vegetation releases (RE) and absorbs (GEE) the equivalent of 11 and 14%, respectively, of anthropogenic emissions in the most urban portions of the state. While urban vegetation in Massachusetts fully sequesters anthropogenic emissions from smaller cities in the region, Boston's UHI reduces annual C storage by >20% such that vegetation offsets only 2% of anthropogenic emissions. Asynchrony between temporal patterns of biogenic and anthropogenic C fluxes further constrains the emissions mitigation potential of urban vegetation. However, neglecting to account for biogenic C fluxes in cities can impair efforts to accurately monitor, report, verify, and reduce anthropogenic emissions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brady S Hardiman
- Department of Forestry & Natural Resources, Division of Environmental & Ecological Engineering, Purdue University, 715 W State St, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, 685 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
| | - Jonathan A Wang
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, 685 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Lucy R Hutyra
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, 685 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Conor K Gately
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, 685 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Jackie M Getson
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, 685 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Mark A Friedl
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, 685 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Kittredge DB, Thompson JR, Morreale LL, Short Gianotti AG, Hutyra LR. Three decades of forest harvesting along a suburban–rural continuum. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- David B. Kittredge
- Harvard Forest Harvard University 324 North Main Street Petersham Massachusetts 01366 USA
- Department of Environmental Conservation University of Massachusetts Amherst Massachusetts 01003 USA
| | - Jonathan R. Thompson
- Harvard Forest Harvard University 324 North Main Street Petersham Massachusetts 01366 USA
| | - Luca L. Morreale
- Harvard Forest Harvard University 324 North Main Street Petersham Massachusetts 01366 USA
| | - Anne G. Short Gianotti
- Department of Earth and Environment Boston University 685 Commonwealth Avenue Boston Massachusetts 02215 USA
| | - Lucy R. Hutyra
- Department of Earth and Environment Boston University 685 Commonwealth Avenue Boston Massachusetts 02215 USA
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Davis KJ, Deng A, Lauvaux T, Miles NL, Richardson SJ, Sarmiento DP, Gurney KR, Hardesty RM, Bonin TA, Brewer WA, Lamb BK, Shepson PB, Harvey RM, Cambaliza MO, Sweeney C, Turnbull JC, Whetstone J, Karion A. The Indianapolis Flux Experiment (INFLUX): A test-bed for developing urban greenhouse gas emission measurements. ELEMENTA (WASHINGTON, D.C.) 2017; 5:10.1525/elementa.188. [PMID: 30997362 PMCID: PMC6463536 DOI: 10.1525/elementa.188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The objective of the Indianapolis Flux Experiment (INFLUX) is to develop, evaluate and improve methods for measuring greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from cities. INFLUX's scientific objectives are to quantify CO2 and CH4 emission rates at 1 km resolution with a 10% or better accuracy and precision, to determine whole-city emissions with similar skill, and to achieve high (weekly or finer) temporal resolution at both spatial resolutions. The experiment employs atmospheric GHG measurements from both towers and aircraft, atmospheric transport observations and models, and activity-based inventory products to quantify urban GHG emissions. Multiple, independent methods for estimating urban emissions are a central facet of our experimental design. INFLUX was initiated in 2010 and measurements and analyses are ongoing. To date we have quantified urban atmospheric GHG enhancements using aircraft and towers with measurements collected over multiple years, and have estimated whole-city CO2 and CH4 emissions using aircraft and tower GHG measurements, and inventory methods. Significant differences exist across methods; these differences have not yet been resolved; research to reduce uncertainties and reconcile these differences is underway. Sectorally- and spatially-resolved flux estimates, and detection of changes of fluxes over time, are also active research topics. Major challenges include developing methods for distinguishing anthropogenic from biogenic CO2 fluxes, improving our ability to interpret atmospheric GHG measurements close to urban GHG sources and across a broader range of atmospheric stability conditions, and quantifying uncertainties in inventory data products. INFLUX data and tools are intended to serve as an open resource and test bed for future investigations. Well-documented, public archival of data and methods is under development in support of this objective.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth J. Davis
- Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science and the Earth and Environmental Sciences Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, US
| | - Aijun Deng
- Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, US
| | - Thomas Lauvaux
- Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, US
| | - Natasha L. Miles
- Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, US
| | - Scott J. Richardson
- Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, US
| | - Daniel P. Sarmiento
- Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, US
| | - Kevin R. Gurney
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, US
| | - R. Michael Hardesty
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, US
- NOAA Earth Systems Research Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado, US
| | - Timothy A. Bonin
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, US
- NOAA Earth Systems Research Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado, US
| | - W. Alan Brewer
- NOAA Earth Systems Research Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado, US
| | - Brian K. Lamb
- Laboratory for Atmospheric Research, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, US
| | - Paul B. Shepson
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, US
| | - Rebecca M. Harvey
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, US
| | | | - Colm Sweeney
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, US
- NOAA Earth Systems Research Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado, US
| | - Jocelyn C. Turnbull
- GNS Science, Rafter Radiocarbon Laboratory, Lower Hutt, NZ
- Cooperative Institute of Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, US
| | - James Whetstone
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, US
| | - Anna Karion
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, US
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Edge effects enhance carbon uptake and its vulnerability to climate change in temperate broadleaf forests. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 114:107-112. [PMID: 27994137 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1612369114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Forest fragmentation is a ubiquitous, ongoing global phenomenon with profound impacts on the growing conditions of the world's remaining forest. The temperate broadleaf forest makes a large contribution to the global terrestrial carbon sink but is also the most heavily fragmented forest biome in the world. We use field measurements and geospatial analyses to characterize carbon dynamics in temperate broadleaf forest fragments. We show that forest growth and biomass increase by 89 ± 17% and 64 ± 12%, respectively, from the forest interior to edge, but ecosystem edge enhancements are not currently captured by models or approaches to quantifying regional C balance. To the extent that the findings from our research represent the forest of southern New England in the United States, we provide a preliminary estimate that edge growth enhancement could increase estimates of the region's carbon uptake and storage by 13 ± 3% and 10 ± 1%, respectively. However, we also find that forest growth near the edge declines three times faster than that in the interior in response to heat stress during the growing season. Using climate projections, we show that future heat stress could reduce the forest edge growth enhancement by one-third by the end of the century. These findings contrast studies of edge effects in the world's other major forest biomes and indicate that the strength of the temperate broadleaf forest carbon sink and its capacity to mitigate anthropogenic carbon emissions may be stronger, but also more sensitive to climate change than previous estimates suggest.
Collapse
|
23
|
Abstract
Urbanization, a dominant global demographic trend, leads to various changes in environments (e.g., atmospheric CO2 increase, urban heat island). Cities experience global change decades ahead of other systems so that they are natural laboratories for studying responses of other nonurban biological ecosystems to future global change. However, the impacts of urbanization on vegetation growth are not well understood. Here, we developed a general conceptual framework for quantifying the impacts of urbanization on vegetation growth and applied it in 32 Chinese cities. Results indicated that vegetation growth, as surrogated by satellite-observed vegetation index, decreased along urban intensity across all cities. At the same time, vegetation growth was enhanced at 85% of the places along the intensity gradient, and the relative enhancement increased with urban intensity. This growth enhancement offset about 40% of direct loss of vegetation productivity caused by replacing productive vegetated surfaces with nonproductive impervious surfaces. In light of current and previous field studies, we conclude that vegetation growth enhancement is prevalent in urban settings. Urban environments do provide ideal natural laboratories to observe biological responses to environmental changes that are difficult to mimic in manipulative experiments. However, one should be careful in extrapolating the finding to nonurban environments because urban vegetation is usually intensively managed, and attribution of the responses to diverse driving forces will be challenging but must be pursued.
Collapse
|
24
|
Reinmann AB, Hutyra LR, Trlica A, Olofsson P. Assessing the global warming potential of human settlement expansion in a mesic temperate landscape from 2005 to 2050. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 545-546:512-524. [PMID: 26760272 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.12.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2015] [Revised: 12/07/2015] [Accepted: 12/08/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Expansion of human settlements is an important driver of global environmental change that causes land use and land cover change (LULCC) and alters the biophysical nature of the landscape and climate. We use the state of Massachusetts, United States (U.S.) to present a novel approach to quantifying the effects of projected expansion of human settlements on the biophysical nature of the landscape. We integrate nationally available datasets with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Integrated Climate and Land Use Scenarios model to model albedo and C storage and uptake by forests and vegetation within human settlements. Our results indicate a 4.4 to 14% decline in forest cover and a 35 to 40% increase in developed land between 2005 and 2050, with large spatial variability. LULCC is projected to reduce rates of forest C sequestration, but our results suggest that vegetation within human settlements has the potential to offset a substantial proportion of the decline in the forest C sink and may comprise up to 35% of the terrestrial C sink by 2050. Changes in albedo and terrestrial C fluxes are expected to result in a global warming potential (GWP) of +0.13 Mg CO2-C-equivalence ha(-1)year(-1) under the baseline trajectory, which is equivalent to 17% of the projected increase in fossil fuel emissions. Changes in terrestrial C fluxes are generally the most important driver of the increase in GWP, but albedo change becomes an increasingly important component where housing densities are higher. Expansion of human settlements is the new face of LULCC and our results indicate that when quantifying the biophysical response it is essential to consider C uptake by vegetation within human settlements and the spatial variability in the influence of C fluxes and albedo on changes in GWP.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew B Reinmann
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, 685 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215, United States.
| | - Lucy R Hutyra
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, 685 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215, United States.
| | - Andrew Trlica
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, 685 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215, United States.
| | - Pontus Olofsson
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, 685 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215, United States.
| |
Collapse
|