Oral Abstract Details

Author(s):
Will Wilson1 Joe Sexton2

Affiliation:
1 Duke University, Biology Department, Durham, NC 27708 2 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771

Presentation Type:
Oral

Topic Area:
Evaluating changes to ecosystem goods and services along urban-rural gradients

Abstract Text:
People in cities require the sustained provisioning of many ecosystem services. In this talk we review the environmental conditions produced by North American cities, including climate, emissions, socioeconomic inequities, and water quality. We focus primarily on the urban heat island in Durham, North Carolina, and how this heat island changes throughout the year. Can the loss of urban tree canopy explain these heat island effects? Can urban trees solve the problems of heat and reduced air quality? To answer these questions, we compare basic tree physiological calculations to geospatial measurements of urban-induced environmental changes. We also present a few studies on the socioeconomic inequities of environmental conditions of North American cities.