Exploring the influence of land use on the urban carbonyl sulfide
budget: a case study of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona
Abstract
Carbonyl sulfide (OCS) is used to quantify the carbon capture potential
of the biosphere because of its direct correlation with CO2 uptake
during photosynthesis. However, to constrain the urban biosphere signal,
it is necessary to evaluate potential anthropogenic sources. We
conducted two sampling campaigns in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona
(AMB), Spain, during May (full COVID lockdown) and October 2020 to
measure the spatial distribution and variability of OCS in four urban
land uses as follows: built, urban forest, urban park, and peri-urban
agriculture. The OCS background levels determined at Tibidabo (442 m
asl) were approximately 484 ±20 ppt and 407 ±8 ppt for May and October
2020, respectively, and agreed with other seasonal surveys conducted in
Europe during that same period. The urban values ranged from neutral to
above background, suggesting nearby anthropogenic and marine emissions
such as +D150 ppt in Montjuic, which is downwind of Barcelona’s harbor.
During the crop-growing season in May, the agricultural areas
consistently showed values below the background (uptake) at 7:00 UTC
when the land breezes were dominant, while later in the morning, when
the sea breeze are developed, the plant sink is masked by the transport
of marine emissions. Urban forests located north of Tibidabo showed OCS
values up to -D70 ppt, suggesting significant uptake by urban forests.
We conclude that determining the urban biosphere signal using OCS as a
tracer is more complex than expected because the marine and
anthropogenic emissions from the port strongly impact the
spatial-temporal distribution of OCS.