Carbon in the Capital: Using novel, low-cost sensors to understand CO2 fluctuations in urban environments and natural gradients
Open AccessAtmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations are spatiotemporally dynamic and understanding how CO2 patterns fluctuate is important for creating sound environmental policies. However, spatial and temporal patterns of CO2 are understudied in urban systems, often due to the high cost of infrastructure deployment. Here, we deployed a large network (n=33) of novel, low-cost sensors to understand spatiotemporal variation in CO2 across the Washington, DC metropolitan area during and after major COVID-19 related lockdowns. We asked (1) How do short-term (daily) and long-term (monthly, yearly) fluctuations of carbon dioxide vary across space and time in the Washington DC metropolitan area? (2) How does photosynthetic activity affect CO2 fluctuations across Washington DC? and (3) How did CO2 fluctuations change as COVID restrictions eased? We expected daily CO2 cycles to be more variable (i) downwind of high-density urban areas and at lower wind velocities (which would allow local CO2 drawdown by vegetation or buildup due to vehicle emissions), (ii) at locations and time points of lower landscape photosynthetic capability around the sensor, and (iii) in 2021 (post-major lockdowns) compared to 2020 (during major lockdowns). Wind direction was not found to be a major predictor of CO2 fluctuations. CO2 fluctuations increased from 2020 to 2021 across most areas of the Washington metropolitan area, with notable increases in the summer months. Diel peaks in CO2 were delayed ~1 hour from 2020-2021, suggesting an increase in morning rush-hour traffic as city lockdowns eased. Photosynthetic capability, represented by Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) measurements, was a weak predictor of daily CO2 fluctuations. We conclude that more attention must be paid to the heterogeneous nature of CO2 fluctuations to make sound carbon emission reduction policies and recommend that future studies focus on the indirect ways in which greenspaces reduce CO2 emissions from urban environments.
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Rosenfield_gwu_0075M_15909.pdf | 2022-10-04 | Open Access |
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