Details zur Publikation

Kategorie Textpublikation
Referenztyp Zeitschriften
DOI 10.3390/land14050977
Lizenz creative commons licence
Titel (primär) Enhancing urban resilience: Stormwater retention and evapotranspiration performance of green roofs under extreme rainfall events
Autor Breulmann, M.; Merbach, A.; Bernhard, K.; Moeller, L.
Quelle Land
Erscheinungsjahr 2025
Department SUBT
Band/Volume 14
Heft 5
Seite von art. 977
Sprache englisch
Topic T7 Bioeconomy
Supplements https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/land14050977/s1
Keywords blue-green infrastructure; green roofs; urban stormwater management; evapotranspiration; stormwater retention; weather extremes
Abstract Rapid urbanisation and climate change have intensified extreme rainfall events, exacerbating stormwater runoff and overwhelming urban drainage systems. Nature-based solutions, such as green roofs with integrated retention capacity, offer promising strategies to mitigate these challenges. This study investigates the influence of substrate thickness and retention volume on the stormwater retention and evapotranspiration (ET) performance of three green roof variants under extreme rainfall scenarios (natural and 5-, 30- and 100-year events). Using lysimeter-based experimental setups, we show that the overall retention capacity is highly dependent on the filling status of the retention layer. Near full capacity, retention performance decreases significantly, resulting in runoff behaviour similar to that of conventional green roofs, while empty systems store up to 99% of rainfall. In addition, ET rates tend to decrease in systems with higher substrate layers and larger retention spaces due to reduced surface evaporation and greater thermal insulation. However, higher substrate layers store more water, allowing plants to maintain transpiration during dry periods, potentially increasing total cumulative ET over time. Overall, this study highlights the importance of designing intensive retention green roofs with dynamic water management to optimise both rainwater retention and ET, thereby increasing urban resilience to increasing rainfall extremes caused by climate change.
dauerhafte UFZ-Verlinkung https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=30729
Breulmann, M., Merbach, A., Bernhard, K., Moeller, L. (2025):
Enhancing urban resilience: Stormwater retention and evapotranspiration performance of green roofs under extreme rainfall events
Land 14 (5), art. 977 10.3390/land14050977