Urban roadside greenery as a carbon sink: Systematic assessment considering understory shrubs and soil respiration

Roadside greenery is an efficient strategy for maximizing ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration in urban settings. However, the quantification of carbon sequestration is not comprehensive because understory shrubs and soil respiration have not been thoroughly considered. The authors developed an integrated methodology that combined field measurements and greenhouse incubation to comprehensively assess carbon sequestration in roadside greenery systems. The system was defined as an 8 m long section comprising a single tree (Zelkova serrata), 79 shrubs (Euonymus japonicus), and soil. Annual carbon uptake by a tree was estimated using an allometric equation derived from an official government report. For shrubs, carbon uptake was measured in the field by monitoring CO2 concentration change in the chamber enclosing the leaves and stems. Annual carbon uptake by shrubs was estimated by using the regression equation among carbon uptake, air temperature, and photosynthetically active radiation. The authors also estimated shrub root respiration by combining net primary production (NPP) from the greenhouse incubation and measured pruning effect in the field. This enabled them to differentiate heterotrophic respiration from the total soil respiration. The overall methodology accurately assessed net ecosystem production (NEP) from the roadside greenery system, which is 0.528 kg C m⁻² yr⁻¹. If this figure is extended to all roads in the target city, it can offset daily carbon emitted from the total registered passenger vehicles in the target city. Considering that shrubs sequester an amount equivalent to 29.3 % of the carbon sequestered by tree species, the current greenhouse gas inventory should include shrubs as an important carbon sink. As the authors also revealed that roadside soil has high carbon vulnerability, proper soil management is needed to enhance NEP. Their systematic approach evaluating the carbon balance within the roadside greenery system can be applied to other cities, contributing to enhance global understanding of urban carbon cycle.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172286
• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896972402429X
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00489697
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Jeong, Minseop
  • Bae, Jeehwan
  • Yoo, Gayoung
• Publication Date: 2024-6-1

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: References;
• Pagination: 172286
• Serial:
  • Science of the Total Environment
  • Volume: 927
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0048-9697
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00489697

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Carbon; Cities; Roadside flora; Shrubs; Soils; Trees
• Subject Areas: Environment; Geotechnology; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01921791
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 17 2024 9:38AM