Carbon Sink Characteristics and Spatial Distribution Patterns on the Campus of South China University of Technology
The climate change caused by global warming brings a huge challenge to the sustainable development of human society.Extensive university campuses are not only public building clusters that require urgent carbon reduction but also places for scientific research and social activities.They will set an example in research and action on carbon reduction.Currently,most existing studies focus on the calculation of carbon emission components on campuses as well as the analysis of influencing factors.However,it lacks a discussion on the distribution laws of carbon sink characteristics in campuses from a spatial perspective.Existing studies have limited guidance to low-carbon planning and design of campuses.In this study,the Wushan Campus,University City Campus,and International Campus of South China University of Technology(SCUT)were chosen as typical cases.The characteristics and spatial distribution patterns of carbon sequestration benefits in university campuses were discussed through field surveys.The three chosen campuses were compared to understand the influence of different campus types on numerical value,distribution characteristics and internal structure of carbon sequestration benefits in carbon sink spaces.1)The carbon sequestration efficiency of green spaces in the Wushan Campus of SCUT was found to be at a relatively high level among global university campuses while being influenced by the mild and humid climate in subtropical regions.The carbon sequestration efficiency of green spaces in University City Campus and International Campus was also at a medium to high level.2)The carbon sequestration capacity of campus green spaces was found to be lower than that of natural ecological green spaces and park green spaces,but higher than that of general urban green spaces.For old campuses,the role of campus green spaces in carbon storage can be fully developed in cities.For the newly built International Campus of SCUT,a field survey revealed that the planting density of greenery was relatively low due to appreciation and use functions of Greenland in the campus,thus resulting in a low carbon sequestration benefit level.3)In campus planning and design,different forms of campus planning space layout can be combined with campus landscape design to create carbon sink space with a high carbon sequestration efficiency.(4)The carbon sinking and carbon sequestration benefits of green spaces on campus are mainly related to the vegetation community type and corresponding area of campus green spaces.Due to the tight land use on campus,the possibility of significantly increasing or reconstructing green space areas is very small.New green spaces should be added in accordance to campus landscape design.It could be achieved by making full use of the fifth facade of buildings,campus scraps and other open spaces,adding strip and scattered green spaces appropriately,establishing a three-dimensional and networked green space framework,and increasing the total amount of campus carbon sequestration effectively.The calculation of building carbon sequestration space in this study mainly focuses on campus environmental research due to the limitation in research conditions and research duration as well as the problem of incomplete data.Therefore,the influence of seasons on carbon sequestration efficiency should be considered in future studies on carbon sequestration efficiency of campus carbon sink spaces.The carbon sequestration efficiency of carbon sinks is influenced by size of the carbon sink space.Highly dense carbon sink spaces have higher carbon sequestration efficiency.In addition,the concept of urban green space with modern significance originates from the urban open space in Western countries.It corresponds to the Chinese term"urban green spaces".The coordinated development of green space and urban spatial structure is crucial.The combination of green space and urban spatial structure is a key concern in the field of green buildings and ecological cities at present.In this study,only qualitative research on the coupling relationship between the distribution pattern of carbon sink space and green space layout on the campuses of SCUT was carried out.The concept of physics coupling analysis which is commonly used in current urban research can be introduced in future to make a quantitative analysis of carbon sequestration benefits,green space ratio and green capacity ratio of carbon sink space.It could quantitatively disclose the coupling relationship between the distribution laws of carbon sink space and green spay layout on campus,and provide quantitative data supports to the influencing mechanism of planning schemes on vegetation coverage level and types.Hence,the influences of surrounding environmental greening on carbon sequestration efficiency of campus carbon sink space shall be taken into account in future studies.The combined coordination model also can be introduced for a quantitative analysis of the coupling relationship between campus greening and carbon sink space.Moreover,influences of basic differences in campus climate,vegetation types,and area size on the spatial distribution of campus carbon sinks shall be considered.Research conclusions are expected to provide decision-making references for carbon reduction design in university campus planning.
campus planningSouth China University of Technology(SCUT)carbon sinkcarbon sequestration benefitsspace distribution
国家科技期刊平台
NSTL
万方数据
维普
