Regional Projections of the Impacts of Future Urbanization and Climate Change on Biogeochemical Cycles in New England Landscapes

Human activities have had complex, long-term impacts on forest function across New England—a trend expected to continue. To assess these impacts, we conducted a regional-scale modeling study using the PnET-CN-daily model, simulating multiple scenarios that reflect projected changes in land cover, climate, and air quality. The results suggest that while New England will continue to serve as a regional carbon sink, carbon accumulation in the southern portion of the region will slow and may shift to a net carbon source due to aggressive urban expansion. Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) fertilization and carbon loss associated with urbanization are the dominant factors controlling future carbon dynamics. However, CO 2 fertilization may diminish over time due to nutrient limitations, while rising temperatures are expected to accelerate soil decomposition, further increasing carbon loss. The forecasts also show that urbanization will increasingly affect ecosystem nitrogen storage. Climate change and CO 2 fertilization along with declining nitrogen deposition from decreases in fossil fuel use are projected to drive nitrogen oligotrophication—slowing forest growth and becoming more severe as nitrogen inputs decrease. In addition, urbanization and climate change are expected to substantially reduce snowpack and shorten snow cover duration in southern New England, with potential consequences for regional water dynamics. These trends highlight the need to integrate future climate, air quality, and land-use projections into forest management strategies for both urban and rural ecosystems.