Project Funding: 2014 - 2017

NRA: 2013 NASA: Carbon Cycle Science   

Funded by NOAA

Abstract:
Nearly 75% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions are generated in urban areas. The goal of the research described in this proposal is to address uncertainties and knowledge gaps in the carbon cycle of densely populated areas by developing a model-data framework for prediction and assessment of C fluxes in the Boston Metro region. The measurement component is built around an advanced network of surface CO2 observations, 14CO2 campaigns, ecological and biogeochemical measurements, and remote sensing of total column CO2 from space and from the ground. The model component integrates sub-models describing natural and human sources and sinks of CO2 (fossil fuel emissions, ecosystems fluxes, and land cover dynamics) with a high-resolution atmospheric transport model. The model-data framework will obtain optimal CO2 fluxes for the urban-to-rural domain by inverse modeling, allowing us to quantitatively characterize the spatial and temporal variations in CO2 component fluxes and net CO2 exchange with strong constraints from observed data. The research described in this proposal responds to Theme 4 of NASA Research announcement NNH13ZDA001N-CARBON (Carbon Cycle Science: Carbon Dynamics within Urban-Suburban-Forested-Agricultural Landscapes), which seeks research to better understand “processes controlling the uptake, storage, and release of greenhouse gases along urban to rural gradients” and to “quantify the carbon signatures (spatial and temporal changes in fluxes) of ecosystems across a range of human influences.”� The proposed work builds upon previous and ongoing research and infrastructure. The project deliverables include (1) regional estimates of net CO2 exchange partitioned into ecosystem and anthropogenic contributions; (2) improved characterization and modeling of the nitrogen cycle in urban environments; (3) improved models for atmospheric transport, anthropogenic emissions, and ecosystem fluxes of CO2; (4) analytical tools for greenhouse gas assessments and management in urban areas; and (5) process-level assessment of how alternative patterns of urban development and land cover change affect ecosystem and coupled human-carbon dynamics. Our end-to-end modeling and analysis framework will be scalable across a broad range of urban areas, providing an excellent basis for designing space-based and in situ monitoring of the C cycle in urban environments. Upon completion, our data sets and modeling framework will provide a comprehensive basis for quantifying, managing and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in densely populated areas and it will have immediate societal impact through existing collaborations with policymakers.

Publications:

Decina, S. M., Hutyra, L. R., Gately, C. K., Getson, J. M., Reinmann, A. B., Short Gianotti, A. G., Templer, P. H. 2016. Soil respiration contributes substantially to urban carbon fluxes in the greater Boston area. Environmental Pollution. 212, 433-439. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.01.012

Decina, S. M., Templer, P. H., Hutyra, L. R. 2018. Atmospheric Inputs of Nitrogen, Carbon, and Phosphorus across an Urban Area: Unaccounted Fluxes and Canopy Influences. Earth's Future. 6(2), 134-148. DOI: 10.1002/2017EF000653

Decina, S. M., Templer, P. H., Hutyra, L. R., Gately, C. K., Rao, P. 2017. Variability, drivers, and effects of atmospheric nitrogen inputs across an urban area: Emerging patterns among human activities, the atmosphere, and soils. Science of The Total Environment. 609, 1524-1534. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.07.166

Gately, C. K., Hutyra, L. R. 2017. Large Uncertainties in Urban-Scale Carbon Emissions. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. 122(20). DOI: 10.1002/2017JD027359

Hardiman, B. S., Wang, J. A., Hutyra, L. R., Gately, C. K., Getson, J. M., Friedl, M. A. 2017. Accounting for urban biogenic fluxes in regional carbon budgets. Science of The Total Environment. 592, 366-372. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.03.028

Reinmann, A. B., Hutyra, L. R. 2016. Edge effects enhance carbon uptake and its vulnerability to climate change in temperate broadleaf forests. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 114(1), 107-112. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1612369114

2015 NASA Carbon Cycle & Ecosystems Joint Science Workshop Poster(s)

• Quantification of Methane Emissions from Natural Gas Losses in the Urban Region of Boston, Massachusetts with an Atmospheric Measurement Network and Modeling Framework   --   (Kathryn McKain, Adrian Down, Steve M. Raciti, John Budney, Lucy R. Hutyra, Cody Floerchinger, Scott C. Herndon, Thomas Nehrkorn, Mark S. Zahniser, Robert Jackson, Nathan Phillips, Steven Wofsy)   [abstract]

More details may be found in the following project profile(s):

• North American Carbon Program (NACP) Project Profile