On 12nd November, Qing Luo presented her work at the RESPIRE-CLIMA workshop, a key event aimed at strengthening the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions monitoring system in Spain. Organized by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center – National Supercomputing Centre (BSC-CNS) and AEMET, the workshop brought together more than 80 participants both onsite and online.
On 4th June, Qing Luo presented her work at the Urban Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Seminar, focusing on the role of greenery in reducing CO2 emissions. The monthly seminar series, hosted by Penn State's Earth-Atmosphere Interactions Lab(USA), aims to foster knowledge exchange and promote international collaboration on the GHG monitoring and estimation.
Title: Effect of land use changes on air quality: Impacts of urbanization, urban vegetation, and agriculture / Urbanization transforms natural landscapes into impervious surfaces, altering local climate and air quality. Greening strategies are increasingly adopted to mitigate these effects, yet their efficacy depends on complex interactions among land use, urban form, geography, and climate.
On May 15, 2025, Professor Gara Villalba, Full Professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and PI of the URBAG project, participated in the Cities on the Frontline speaker series organized by the Resilient Cities Network. This globally attended event, now in its 2025 edition, brought together experts and urban practitioners to explore the theme: “Renaturing Cities: Restoring Ecosystems and Building Urban Resilience.”
La publicació de l'investigador Ricard Segura-Barrero està tenint un gran impacte als mitjans. Les onades de calor i les sequeres cada vegada més freqüents estan reduint de manera preocupant la capacitat dels ecosistemes per actuar com a embornals de carboni.
Title: Assessing the Short-Term Air Quality Health Impact from Land-Use Changes During Heatwaves: A Health Impact Assessment in Barcelona Metropolitan Area / Heatwaves amplify air pollution, increasing public health risks, particularly in urban areas where land use influences the distribution of pollutants. This study examines the short-term health effects of air pollution during a two-week heatwave in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area under different land use scenarios
As part of the poster session, Qing Luo presented her research titled “High-Resolution Accounting for the Urban Biogenic CO₂ Emissions: Insights from the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona.” The study addresses a critical challenge in tackling the climate crisis: accurately quantifying biogenic CO₂ fluxes in urban areas.
Descobrint la ciència a l'Hort-Laboratori Sostenible. El passat 17 de febrer de 2025, el nostre equip va participar en una jornada d'outreach a l'Escola La Pau de Sant Sadurní, en el marc del programa Aliança Magnet. Aquesta iniciativa, impulsada per Sostenipra, busca apropar la ciència als infants mitjançant experiències interactives i educatives.
Title: Heat and Drought Events Alter Biogenic Capacity to Balance CO2 Budget in South-Western Europe/ Heat and drought events are increasing in frequency and intensity, posing significant risks to natural and agricultural ecosystems with uncertain effects on the net ecosystem CO2 exchange. The current Vegetation Photosynthesis and Respiration Model (VPRM) was adjusted to include soil moisture impacts on the gross ecosystem exchange and respiration.
The postdoctoral fellow will be working alongside the URBAG research team and will be responsible for the GHG monitoring network that has recently been developed and for developing a line of research that includes several of the following objectives, to be further defined by the candidate. Application Deadline: 8 January 2025. Work Location: ICTA-UAB (Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain). Contract duration: 24 months