Global urbanization has significantly affected land use, with former agricultural or forested land being used for human settlements and urban green spaces. How this urbanization may have affected the spatial and temporal patterns of soil greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes, especially those of nitrous oxide (N₂O), remains largely unexplored, although a recent study indicated that urbanization accelerates GHG fluxes from soils (Zhan et al., 2023).

In this study, we investigated soil GHG fluxes at Aarhus University Park, which is located on a hilly landscape with different ecosystems. Soil GHG fluxes were measured at 56 sampling plots 2-3 times per week over a period of 7 months using a fast chamber approach. The sampling plots differ in management, vegetation and landscape position (uphill, slope, foothill, ponds). We aimed to identify hot and cold spots of GHG fluxes and to understand if these are persistent over time.

Our study demonstrates the high spatial variability of GHG fluxes in urban parks, with higher fluxes found in wetter areas. With forthcoming results from laboratory analyses of soil properties (pH, texture, soil C/N), and taking into account differences in vegetation and landscape position as well as observed soil moisture and temperature dynamics, we aim to develop a statistical model to better understand the drivers of the observed spatial and temporal variability of GHG fluxes and to assess how the design of urban parks affects the overall GHG balance of urban green spaces.