Abstract
Abstract Carbon dioxide flux can be used as a criterion of the metabolism of terrestrial communities. A method has been developed to estimate this flux from urban areas during nocturnal periods characterized by stable air. The method assumes that biogenic and anthropogenic CO2 emissions are proportional to one another. This assumption appears to be acceptable for average conditions in Calgary, Alberta, which is an “urban forest” situated in a prairie setting. Application of the method for estimating the CO2 flux from Calgary's terrestrial ecosystem shows that dark respiration is absent during autumn and winter seasons. It is twice as great in summer as in spring. Its summer level is less than half that observed for an oak—pine forest in New York state. The lesser value is explainable in terms of Calgary's colder climate and the fact that a significant portion of the city is occupied by streets, houses, high-rise buildings and parking lots.
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