Sealing
Field of action:
Settlements and Traffic Areas
(Sub)contractor:
LUP GmbH
Relevance of the indicator in the context of the ANK:
Monitoring soil sealing is crucial for climate protection, as sealed soils severely limit their carbon storage function and ultimately lead to the net release of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases. These areas absorb more solar energy, contributing to urban heat islands and higher temperatures in cities.
In addition, sealing reduces groundwater recharge, increases surface runoff and increases the risk of flooding. On the other hand, the drying out of adjacent unsealed soils reduces the availability of water for vegetation and its resilience to drought. Continuous monitoring of sealing processes is therefore essential in order to identify trends and adapt urban development measures.
Description of the Service:
The service focuses on the impact of sealing on the carbon cycle, hydrology and heat islands. It will be a further development of the ‘hydrological relief’ parameter from UrbanGreenEye, with the addition of climate-related aspects to the parameter. In addition, the model parameters will be adjusted using additional reference data. Finally, the model generates maps of sealing and unsealing dynamics as a continuous monitoring option.
