Lack of research into the complexity in urban land conversion, and paucity of observational data of soil organic carbon (SOC) beneath impervious surface area (ISA) limit our understanding of the urbanization effects on carbon (C) pools in dryland cities. Employing Landsat TM images acquired in 1990 and 2010, a hybrid classification method consisting of Linear Spectral Mixture Analysis and decis...

More accurate spatio-temporal predictions of urban environment are needed as a basis for assessing exposures as a part of environmental studies, and to inform urban protection policy and management. This paper is focused on modelling in the GIS to estimate air, water and soil pollution in urban areas. The basic environmental components are complemented by bio-monitoring, waste management and no...

We present high spatial-resolution mapping of soil lead (Pb) concentrations in a small-urban residential setting. X-ray fluorescence was used to measure soil Pb at170 properties in the City Park neighborhood of Appleton, Wisconsin. Greater than two-thirds of soil samples collected from drip lines contained more than 400 μg g of Pb, and one third exceeded 1200 μg g. Soils adjacent to homes built...

This study highlights the impacts of the surface variability on Land-Atmosphere interactions using multi-scale atmospheric simulations with the Weather Research and Forecasting model capacities, coupled with NOAH land surface model and Kusaka et al. (2001) urban canopy model. The 30-m resolution numerical datasets for land-use and topography are respectively given by National Land-Cover Dataset...

Soil biota play key roles in the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems, however, compared to our knowledge of above-ground plant and animal diversity, the biodiversity found in soils remains largely uncharacterized. Here, we present an assessment of soil biodiversity and biogeographic patterns across Central Park in New York City that spanned all three domains of life, demonstrating that even a...

Precipitation changes and urban growth are two factors altering the state of water quality. Changes in precipitation will alter the amount and timing of flows, and the corresponding sediment and nutrient dynamics. Meanwhile, densification associated with urban growth will create more impervious surfaces which will alter sediment and nutrient loadings. Land and water managers rely on models to d...

The City of Mississauga in Ontario has been experiencing a fast urban growth in the past two decades which has caused rapid loss of the valuable farm and open space land. Land-use and land-cover maps of the City were produced from Landsat TM images for 1985 and 1999, spanning a period of 14 years. Dramatic changes in land use and land cover have occurred, with loss of forest, cropland and water...

Global urbanization is a vital process shaping terrestrial ecosystems but its effects on forest soil carbon (C) dynamics are still not well defined. To clarify the effects of urbanization on soil organic carbon (SOC) variation, 306 soil samples were collected and analyzed under two urban–rural gradients, defined according to human disturbance time and ring road development in Changchun, northea...