Carbon Pools of Berlin, Germany: Organic Carbon in Soils and Aboveground in Trees

Richter, Steffi; Haase, Dagmar; Thestorf, Kolja; Makki, Mohsen

doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2020.126777

Cited by 36 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Pollutants were initially the primary focus, but around the turn of the millennium, soil and street dust studies prevailed (Kocher et al., 2007). During the last decade, urban soils and their water and heat storage capacity have been investigated for their role in mitigating urban heating (Höke et al., 2011), and for their capacity to contribute to climate change mitigation by sequestering carbon (Richter et al., 2020), which became important and urgent objectives of recent environmental policies. Other soil research objectives of urban and mining areas have included stormwater infiltration (Burghardt, 1996; Burghardt et al., 1999; Tüselmann et al., 2000), soil sealing, biodiversity, soil fertility, and eutrophication, but these have received less attention.…”

Section: Key Results and Future Requirementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil science within German cities

Burghardt

Kneib

Höke

et al. 2022

J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci.

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The soils of urban areas were belatedly discovered as a research subject, becoming popular for study in the 1970s. With the growth of cities, there were increased requirements for urban soil information to assure the urban quality of life. Thus, the WG Urban Soils (AKS [Arbeitskreis Stadtboeden], today AGUB) within the German Soil Science Society (DBG) was established in 1987. This paper outlines the national and international achievements of AKS/AGUB and the initiated international urban soil network. Particular attention is given to soil mapping and research in Germany. The foundation of AKS/AGUB initiated a high scientific response on the new research field of urban soils. A soil mapping instruction was established. According to the German concept of soil unit “soil form” from the substrate and soil formation, much attention was given to soil material of natural and technic origin, as well as structure and profile composition. The focus of soil formation is on the young age, the effect of artificial landscape construction, and the speed of soil development. For surveying areas of high soil diversity, conceptual maps were developed. A great number of cities were mapped. As in Germany, urban soils were included in several national soil classification systems. Those of Germany, the United States, Russia, France, and the international World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) are compared. A great number of tasks of urban administration concern soil problems, such as pollution, soil sealing, urban greening, stormwater infiltration, heating, dust, and carbon sequestration, so soils were relevant in city government work. Internationally, the WG SUITMA of International Union of Soil Science and the US WG INCOMANTH were dedicated to urban soils. The AKS/AGUB could contribute to the European Commission with concepts of soil functions and soil evaluation and the introduction of Technosols to the WRB. Important future aspects will be the competition of intense rising soil consumption by building activities, and the availability and quality of soils for a sustainable urban life.

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Section: Key Results and Future Requirementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil science within German cities

Burghardt

Kneib

Höke

et al. 2022

J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci.

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“…However, the minimal sample size depends on the research area and purpose of the study (Hartemink et al, 2008). For example, global and regional maps are usually based on thousands of samples (e.g., Stoorvogel et al, 2017; Xie et al, 2011), whereas at the regional and local scale a hundred is a more typical sample size (Richter et al, 2020; Romzaykina et al, 2021). Soil pollution assessment also likely requires a smaller dataset than, for example, precise agriculture (Roberton et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High‐resolution mapping of soil pollution by Cu and Ni at a polar industrial barren area using proximal and remote sensing

et al. 2022

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Industrial pollution by potentially toxic elements (PTE) remains a key environmental threat, resulting in soil and ecosystem degradation. Remediation of the industrial barrens is challenging in polar regions, where plant growth is hampered by severe climatic conditions. High‐resolution mapping of soil pollution is needed to support soil remediation and management projects. The distribution of nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu) was analyzed in the topsoil within the industrial barren around the Ni and Cu smelter in Kola Peninsula, Russia using a field‐portable XRF analyzer. Bulk Cu and Ni contents were measured at 84 observation points within the area of two hectares planned for remediation. The PTE content varied between 0.2 and 9.0 g kg−1 for Cu and between 0.2 and 21 g kg−1 for Ni. The area was surveyed with unmanned aerial vehicles and differential global navigation satellite systems to obtain a high‐accuracy digital terrain model for exploring the factors behind the spatial variability. Field observations were interpolated by regression kriging with different input resolution of auxiliary data (0.5–1.0–1.5–2.0 m) and different regression models (gradient boosting machines and multiple linear regression). Model performance and validation showed that 1.0–1.5 m resolution of auxiliary data were the best for projecting Cu and Ni topsoil contents within the study site. The soil type and topographic wetness index were the most important variables explaining Cu and Ni content variability.

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“…The C-regulating capacity of different GI elements greatly depends on certain elements, including the potential biomass of the plant (larger plants such as trees which possess a larger C storage), the amount of C that is released during construction and maintenance phases, as well as the decomposition of biomass (Setälä et al 2016;Linden et al 2020). The relevance of different GI solutions for achieving climate neutrality in a wider context of built environment has started to increase (Kuittinen et al 2016(Kuittinen et al , 2021, and city-wide estimates of urban carbon pools are becoming available (Richter et al 2020). The C-regulating capacity of GI can be supported at all stages of urban development, from strategic regional planning to detailed landscape design, construction, management, and maintenance.…”

Section: Missing Environmental Information and Needs In Landscape Design And Constructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The C-regulating capacity of GI can be supported at all stages of urban development, from strategic regional planning to detailed landscape design, construction, management, and maintenance. In general, the landscape architectural design process is divided into four main stages: the preparation phase, concept design, developed design, and technical design, which are followed by construction and maintenance (RIBA 2013). The first phase addresses project objectives, sustainability aspirations, and budget, in addition to the required site information and landscape analyses.…”

Section: Missing Environmental Information and Needs In Landscape Design And Constructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Product Declarations for plants and soils: how to quantify carbon uptake in landscape design and construction?

Kuittinen

Hautamäki

Tuhkanen

et al. 2021

Int J Life Cycle Assess

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Purpose Currently, no clear guidance exists for ISO and EN standards of calculating, verifying, and reporting the climate impacts of plants, mulches, and soils used in landscape design and construction. In order to optimise the potential of ecosystem services in the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in the built environment, we unequivocally propose their inclusion when assessing sustainability. Methods We analysed the life cycle phases of plants, soils, and mulches from the viewpoint of compiling standard-based Environmental Product Declarations. In comparison to other construction products, the differences of both mass and carbon flows were identified in these products. Results Living and organic products of green infrastructure require an LCA approach of their own. Most importantly, if conventional life cycle guidance for Environmental Product Declarations were to be followed, over time, the asymmetric mass and carbon flows would lead to skewed conclusions. Moreover, the ability of plants to reproduce raises additional questions for allocating environmental impacts. Conclusions We present a set of recommendations that are required for compiling Environmental Product Declarations for the studied products of green infrastructure. In order to enable the quantification of the climate change mitigation potential of these products, it is essential that work for further development of LCA guidance be mandated.

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Carbon Pools of Berlin, Germany: Organic Carbon in Soils and Aboveground in Trees

Cited by 36 publications

References 38 publications

Soil science within German cities

Soil science within German cities

High‐resolution mapping of soil pollution by Cu and Ni at a polar industrial barren area using proximal and remote sensing

Environmental Product Declarations for plants and soils: how to quantify carbon uptake in landscape design and construction?

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