NSF-Ecosystem Studies Jenkins, Cadenasso, Groffman, Pickett, Cox, and Grove December 2004
Virtually all across the United States, residential vegetation consists of a predictable combination of trees, turfgrass, shrubs, and gardens. Preliminary evidence suggests that carbon (C) sequestration in residential areas is driven strongly by vegetation (rather than by miles driven or electricity consumed, for example) and that substantial sequestration does occur where people live. However, very little is currently known about a) how much C sequestration is taking place in residential landscapes, or b) what factors determine the rates of C sequestration. Using three contrasting neighborhoods in Baltimore, MD, this project will quantify the major C pools in residential areas, the rates of exchange between these pools and the atmosphere, and the relative importance of factors such as soil type, landscape structure, residential age, and land use history in determining C sequestration on residential land.
Residential areas are large and growing, and National-scale C cycle estimates based on forests or agriculture do not currently take them into account. This research will therefore contribute to the ongoing effort to characterize the Northern Hemisphere C budget and will provide baseline data about C cycling in this overlooked component of the land base. An extensive grassroots educational effort will be conducted as part of the site selection process, and graduate and undergraduate students will be involved in the work.
