Analysis of Carbon Stocks and Fluxes of Urban Lawn Ecosystems in Moscow Megapolis

Urbanization results in irreversible transformations of vegetation and soils. Urban lawn is an important part of urban ecosystems, providing several principal ecological functions, including participation in global carbon cycle. Carbon stocks and fluxes in urban lawns are diverse due to the different functional uses (residential, recreational areas, etc.), and different morphogenetic and physico-chemical properties of soil and their components. The research was focused on C stocks and fluxes in urban lawns to assess their function in regulating atmospheric air composition. Soil CO2 emission and CH4 fluxes (summarized for summer period); soil organic C (SOC); below and aboveground biomass were studied. Carbon emission by soil respiration and C sequestration in biomass were considered to estimate C balance.