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Updated: May 24, 2026
09:19
Utilizing Soil Density Fractionation to Separate Distinct Soil Carbon Pools
Published on: December 16, 2022
Depleted soil carbon and nitrogen pools beneath impervious surfaces
Steve M Raciti1, Lucy R Hutyra, Adrien C Finzi
1Boston University, Department of Geography & Environment, Boston, MA, USA. raciti@bu.edu
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
|March 2, 2012
Summary
Urban soils under impervious surfaces have significantly less carbon and nitrogen. This loss may counteract carbon sequestration in other urban areas, impacting urban ecosystem health.
Area of Science:
- Urban Ecology
- Soil Science
- Environmental Chemistry
Background:
- Urban soils and vegetation store substantial carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) and can sequester these elements.
- Lack of studies on soils beneath impervious surfaces hinders accurate estimation of urbanization's net impact on terrestrial C and N pools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically investigate the composition of soils beneath impervious surfaces in urban environments.
- To compare soil C and N content and organic matter characteristics between open areas and impervious-covered sites in New York City.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of soil samples (0-15 cm depth) from open areas and impervious-covered locations in New York City.
- Analysis of soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) content.
- Assessment of extracellular enzyme activities to infer organic matter composition.
Main Results:
- Soils under impervious surfaces showed significantly lower C (66% reduction) and N (95% reduction) content compared to open area soils.
- Extracellular enzyme activity analysis indicated that recalcitrant compounds dominate the organic matter pool beneath impervious surfaces.
Conclusions:
- Urbanization, particularly the prevalence of impervious surfaces, leads to substantial losses of soil carbon and nitrogen.
- These losses from under impervious surfaces may offset carbon sequestration occurring in other parts of the urban landscape.
- Further research is needed to fully quantify the net impact of urbanization on terrestrial C and N budgets.
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