Title: The role of soil moisture and shading in influencing the capacity of urban street trees to reduce heat stress See full article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2026.103086 Abstract: Street trees can significantly reduce urban heat through shading and transpirative cooling, but their effectiveness may be compromised during heat waves with dry soil conditions. This study assesses the cooling […]
The ICOS Cities-PAUL project has revolutionized urban climate governance by combining traditional emission inventory data with high-density atmospheric sensor networks, slashing reporting lags from two years to just weeks. Deployed across pilots in Paris, Munich, and Zurich, and encompassing a network of 15 European citie, including Barcelona, the initiative provided near-real-time, street-level “ground truth” to […]
In three pilot cities, Paris, Munich and Zurich, ICOS Cities supported the set up an atmospheric monitoring infrastructure to measure greenhouse gas concentrations at city scale. This enabled these cities to move beyond estimation and into verifiable, data-driven climate action. Together with a city network, consisting of 12 additional European cities, ICOS Cities also developed […]
Gara Villalba, investigadora de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona y directora del proyecto URBAG, ha concedido una entrevista a Climática en la que analiza el papel de la infraestructura verde en la adaptación de las ciudades al cambio climático. En la conversación, destaca cómo elementos como la vegetación urbana, los materiales de las superficies y […]
We are happy to announce a new webinar series on urban greenhouse gas monitoring, coordinated by Vanessa Monteiro, in collaboration with the Integrated Global Greenhouse Gas Information System (IG3IS) initiative, under the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Programme of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)! This monthly webinar series is dedicated to providing a platform for leading experts […]
On June 19, 2026, Gara Villalba took part in the podcast Arran de Mar, a collaborative radio program produced by several local stations with a shared passion for the sea and coastal environments. During the episode, she discussed the key findings of a recent publication (Projected changes in sea-land breeze dynamics and pollutant transport under […]
On the 11th of June 2026, at Ca l’Alier (Barcelona), Gara Villalba took part in the Diàleg amb la ciència pel clima event:“Com ens afecta la calor a la ciutat i com podem reduir els seus impactes negatius.” Gara joined the round table discussion, sharing insights on how green infrastructure can be implemented to improve […]
Title: Applying recovered nutrients and pruning waste to enrich and regenerate agricultural soils in urban agriculture: Effects on emissions and yield of spinach and sweet potato See full article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2026.110574 Abstract: Peri-urban agricultural soils have degraded from intensive tillage and chemical fertilizer use, leading to reduced soil organic carbon (SOC), loss of microbial diversity, and […]
At the beginning of May, a new Eddy Covariance (EC) flux tower was installed in Delta de l’Ebre! Shout-out to Ariane Arias Ortiz, Angèlica Busquets Rubiés, Iosif Doundoulakis, and Yinghuan Qin. This tower, located in a rice field at Finca La Llanada, will continuously measure high-resolution ecosystem-atmosphere exchanges of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and […]
Our team contributed to the ICOS-Spain Report 2023-2024 highlithing our work on advancing greenhouse gas monitoring in complex urban environments through the deployment of a high-resolution observation network in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area. This network, comprising five continuous measurement stations across diverse urban settings, provides valuable insights into spatial and temporal CO₂ variability and supports […]