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Investigation of Urban Vegetative Fluxes of Carbon Dioxide over the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area
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  • Sabrina Madsen,
  • Debra Wunch,
  • Muhammad Altaf Arain,
  • Christian Frankenberg,
  • Philipp Koehler,
  • Cheryl Rogers,
  • Ralf Staebler,
  • Felix Vogel,
  • Dien Wu
Sabrina Madsen
University of Toronto

Corresponding Author:smadsen@physics.utoronto.ca

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Debra Wunch
University of Toronto
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Muhammad Altaf Arain
McMaster University
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Christian Frankenberg
California Institute of Technology
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Philipp Koehler
California Institute of Technology
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Cheryl Rogers
University of Toronto
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Ralf Staebler
Environment and Climate Change Canada
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Felix Vogel
Environment and Climate Change Canada
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Dien Wu
California Institute of Technology
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Abstract

Terrestrial vegetation is known to be an important sink for carbon dioxide (CO2). However, fluxes to and from vegetation are often not accounted for when studying anthropogenic CO2 emissions in urban areas. This project seeks to quantify urban biogenic fluxes in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area located in Southern Ontario, Canada. Toronto is Canada’s most populated city but also has a large amount of green-space, covering approximately 13 % of the city. In addition, vegetation is not evenly distributed throughout the region. We therefore expect biogenic fluxes to play an important role in the spatial patterns of CO2 concentrations and the overall local carbon budget. In order to fully understand biogenic fluxes they can be partitioned into the amount of CO2 sequestered via photosynthesis, gross primary productivity (GPP), and the amount respired by vegetation, ecosystem respiration (Reco). Solar induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) measured from space has been shown to be a valuable proxy for photosynthesis and thus can be used to estimate GPP. Vegetation models, including the Urban Vegetation Photosynthesis and Respiration Model (UrbanVPRM) and the SIF for Modelling Urban biogenic Fluxes (SMUrF) model, have also been used to estimate both GPP and Reco In this study we compare modelled and SIF-derived biogenic CO2 fluxes at a 500 m by 500 m resolution, to ground-based flux tower measurements in Southern Ontario to determine how well these methods estimate biogenic CO2 fluxes. This study works towards determining the importance of biogenic fluxes in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Furthermore, the results of this work may inform policy makers and city planners on how urban vegetation affects CO2 concentrations and patterns within cities.