Green roof runoff reduction of 84 rain events: Comparing Sedum, life strategy-based vegetation, unvegetated and conventional roofs

Abstract

Green roofs have emerged as effective stormwater management systems, but understanding the contribution of their various components to hydrological performance is crucial for optimizing their design and implementation. More empirically measured data on the hydrological function of green roof vegetation is needed, especially under realistic low-maintenance, non-irrigated scenarios. Further, targeted, evidence-based plant selection based on ecological theories may improve green roof hydrological performance. Previous research has suggested that, in contrast to monocultures, mixtures of species with complementary traits could optimize provisioning of various ecosystem services. Thus, species mixtures based on their adaptive life strategy using the CSR theory (Competitor, Stress tolerator, and Ruderal) were hypothesized to have better hydrological performance than a Sedum monoculture or bare substrate under natural conditions over multiple seasons. To test this hypothesis, the runoff from thirty 2 m² green roof modules was measured. The retention and detention performance of different green roof treatments were evaluated for 84 precipitation events of varying rain depth and intensity during snow-free periods. Differences in retention as well as detention between the vegetation treatments varied, but generally increased with increasing rain event volume and the Stress-tolerant treatment generally performed better than bare substrate. On a mean event basis, the mixture of stress-tolerator species demonstrated a 74 % retention rate, while the Bare substrate retained 72 % of the rainfalls. Overall, the green roofs, including bare substrate and vegetated treatments, effectively retained >50 % of the cumulative precipitation depth. In line with previous studies, the Sedum monoculture generally showed worse hydrological performance than other non-succulent vegetation mixtures, despite its relatively high cover and survival. The vegetated treatment with the highest species richness and diversity in life strategies (Mix) did not provide the best vegetation cover, or hydrological performance. Instead, the Stress-tolerant treatment, characterized by the high survival rate of a single graminoid species, consistently demonstrated superior event-based stormwater retention and peak attenuation capabilities.