IG3IS Webinar Series (Q3-Q4, 2025): Urban flux towers as a tool for devising better climate policies for cities

Tall towers with advanced instrumentation for measuring greenhouse gas fluxes are increasingly utilized in urban areas. These towers provide direct measurements of the net exchange between the urban surface and the atmosphere, covering emission sources and sinks within a neighborhood-sized footprint. Their use allows for the identification of emission patterns, validation of gridded inventories, and insight into anthropogenic and natural sources and sinks. They also gather micrometeorological data essential for understanding urban climate phenomena, such as the urban heat island effect. This talk will cover the basics of the eddy covariance method utilized by these towers and illustrate how they can aid cities in improving greenhouse gas accounting and developing effective mitigation strategies, referencing our experiences in Mexico City and Singapore. We will emphasize the role of urban greenery in offsetting carbon emissions and discuss how limited knowledge of biogeochemical cycles and inadequate assessments can undermine urban forestry policies. Additionally, we will explore how integrating measurements of greenhouse gas fluxes with other climate variables can foster effective strategies for mitigating climate change and combating urban warming.