Quantifying and modeling ecosystem services provided by urban greening in cities of the Southern Alps, N Italy

Russo, Alessio (2013) Quantifying and modeling ecosystem services provided by urban greening in cities of the Southern Alps, N Italy, [Dissertation thesis], Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna. Dottorato di ricerca in Colture arboree ed agrosistemi forestali ornamentali e paesaggistici, 25 Ciclo. DOI 10.6092/unibo/amsdottorato/5365.
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Abstract

Population growth in urban areas is a world-wide phenomenon. According to a recent United Nations report, over half of the world now lives in cities. Numerous health and environmental issues arise from this unprecedented urbanization. Recent studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of urban green spaces and the role they play in improving both the aesthetics and the quality of life of its residents. In particular, urban green spaces provide ecosystem services such as: urban air quality improvement by removing pollutants that can cause serious health problems, carbon storage, carbon sequestration and climate regulation through shading and evapotranspiration. Furthermore, epidemiological studies with controlled age, sex, marital and socio-economic status, have provided evidence of a positive relationship between green space and the life expectancy of senior citizens. However, there is little information on the role of public green spaces in mid-sized cities in northern Italy. To address this need, a study was conducted to assess the ecosystem services of urban green spaces in the city of Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy. In particular, we quantified the cooling effect of urban trees and the hourly amount of pollution removed by the urban forest. The information was gathered using field data collected through local hourly air pollution readings, tree inventory and simulation models. During the study we quantified pollution removal for ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and particulate matter (<10 microns). We estimated the above ground carbon stored and annually sequestered by the urban forest. Results have been compared to transportation CO2 emissions to determine the CO2 offset potential of urban streetscapes. Furthermore, we assessed commonly used methods for estimating carbon stored and sequestered by urban trees in the city of Bolzano. We also quantified ecosystem disservices such as hourly urban forest volatile organic compound emissions.

Abstract
Tipologia del documento
Tesi di dottorato
Autore
Russo, Alessio
Supervisore
Dottorato di ricerca
Scuola di dottorato
Scienze agrarie
Ciclo
25
Coordinatore
Settore disciplinare
Settore concorsuale
Parole chiave
Ecosystem services, UFORE model, ENVI-met model,ecosystem disservices
URN:NBN
DOI
10.6092/unibo/amsdottorato/5365
Data di discussione
9 Aprile 2013
URI

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