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WP2

Contribution of city plant ecosystems to quality of life

The study of fluxes of greenhouse gases and trace gases at urban ecosystem level will allow the evaluation of contribution of green urban/periurban areas to the mitigation of global change driving forces. Inside WP2, two micrometeorological towers will be installed at a urban park and a periurban wood estate in the city of Rome and the following task is foreseen:

T2a: Micrometeorology of matter and energy fluxes at ecosystem level: (ozone, CO₂, water and heat exchanges) at ecosystem levels (vertical gradients, eddy covariance), stomatal and non-stomatal actual doses of air pollutants; estimating the potential removal of air pollutants by urban vegetation; CO₂ fluxes from soil and carbon cycling; seasonal trends; influence of trees on urban microclimates, and of urban microclimates on lichens. The following RUs are involved: (RU-TS, RU-UNICATT, RU-TUS, RU-ROMA).

T2b: Soil respiration (roots, microorganisms) will be measured with a gas analyser and a respiration chamber, together with ecophysiological parameters (RU-PA).

T2c: Determination of biogenic and anthropogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other reactive trace gases (NOx) in the above reported selected sites (RU-CNRFI, RU-TS, RU-TUS).

T2d: Histopathology of stress damage (RU-TUS): TEM of selected samples from the experimental sites will be processed in order to characterise the cellular damage at the ultrastructural level.