More than half of the world's population lives in urban areas and the proportion of urban inhabitants continues to increase in most countries. Biogeochemical dynamics in urban systems are unique because of major alterations to hydrological dynamics and surface cover, as well as proximity to anthropogenic emissions of elements, various contaminants, greenhouse gases, and nutrients. As urban areas expand, engineered and/or nature-based solutions such as green roofs and other low-impact development features are also increasingly used to mitigate various impacts of urban development. Understanding the unique biogeochemical cycling dynamics in urban systems remains a major challenge to sustainable urban life.
The goal of this Research Topic is to bring diverse scientific and interdisciplinary studies, specific to biogeochemical dynamics in cities, together to help municipal decision-making that aims to improve the lives of people and organisms in cities. Biogeochemical dynamics in urban systems are largely, but not entirely distinct from those in rural or natural landscapes. The cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, contaminants, and other matter in urban landscapes, water bodies, atmospheres, and nature-based solutions such as green roofs continue to be re-thought, particularly in relation to demography, crumbling or renewed infrastructure, global climate change and interactions among different cycles. As the world continues to urbanize, it is increasingly clear that improving our understanding of biogeochemical dynamics in diverse urban systems at different scales is critical.
We welcome contributions that relate directly to urban biogeochemical dynamics or that have implications for urban biogeochemical dynamics. Specific themes include:
a) Sources, occurrence, fate, and transport of urban contaminants, such as emerging organic compounds, pharmaceuticals, salt, and nutrients.
b) Novel aspects of carbon and other biogeochemical cycles in cities.
c) Methodological and conceptual advances in urban biogeochemistry.
d) Biogeochemical dynamics of nature-based solutions and low-impact design projects.
e) Interactions amongst biogeochemical and/or hydrological cycles in urban systems.
f) Scale in urban biogeochemical systems (e.g., household and neighborhood scales).
Topic Editor Dr. Carl Mitchell is a co-inventor of an air sampling device that is under license from the University of Toronto for manufacture and sale by Tekran, Inc. Dr. Mitchell receives a portion of proceeds annually that Tekran pays to the University of Toronto for this license. The other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic subject.
More than half of the world's population lives in urban areas and the proportion of urban inhabitants continues to increase in most countries. Biogeochemical dynamics in urban systems are unique because of major alterations to hydrological dynamics and surface cover, as well as proximity to anthropogenic emissions of elements, various contaminants, greenhouse gases, and nutrients. As urban areas expand, engineered and/or nature-based solutions such as green roofs and other low-impact development features are also increasingly used to mitigate various impacts of urban development. Understanding the unique biogeochemical cycling dynamics in urban systems remains a major challenge to sustainable urban life.
The goal of this Research Topic is to bring diverse scientific and interdisciplinary studies, specific to biogeochemical dynamics in cities, together to help municipal decision-making that aims to improve the lives of people and organisms in cities. Biogeochemical dynamics in urban systems are largely, but not entirely distinct from those in rural or natural landscapes. The cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, contaminants, and other matter in urban landscapes, water bodies, atmospheres, and nature-based solutions such as green roofs continue to be re-thought, particularly in relation to demography, crumbling or renewed infrastructure, global climate change and interactions among different cycles. As the world continues to urbanize, it is increasingly clear that improving our understanding of biogeochemical dynamics in diverse urban systems at different scales is critical.
We welcome contributions that relate directly to urban biogeochemical dynamics or that have implications for urban biogeochemical dynamics. Specific themes include:
a) Sources, occurrence, fate, and transport of urban contaminants, such as emerging organic compounds, pharmaceuticals, salt, and nutrients.
b) Novel aspects of carbon and other biogeochemical cycles in cities.
c) Methodological and conceptual advances in urban biogeochemistry.
d) Biogeochemical dynamics of nature-based solutions and low-impact design projects.
e) Interactions amongst biogeochemical and/or hydrological cycles in urban systems.
f) Scale in urban biogeochemical systems (e.g., household and neighborhood scales).
Topic Editor Dr. Carl Mitchell is a co-inventor of an air sampling device that is under license from the University of Toronto for manufacture and sale by Tekran, Inc. Dr. Mitchell receives a portion of proceeds annually that Tekran pays to the University of Toronto for this license. The other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic subject.
