Impacts of Vegetation on Hydrological Performances of Green Roofs Under Different Rainfall Conditions

Abstract

Vegetation is an important component of green roofs and may affect their hydrological performance through the processes of rainwater interception and evapotranspiration. Based on the rainfall-runoff observations of green roofs with four types of vegetation covers (Portulaca grandiflora, Sedum lineare, Festuca elata, and bare substrate) located in Beijing during 26 rainfall events from April to October 2017, the impacts of vegetation cover on the hydrological performance of green roofs were investigated using runoff and peak discharge reduction rates and time-delay of runoff generation and peak discharge as indices. For the 12 green roofs, there was a significantly negative correlation (P<0.01) between runoff reduction rate and rainfall event volume. For low rainfall (<10 mm), the runoff reduction rates of all the green roofs were equal or close to 100%. When the rainfall volume increased to about 30 mm, the runoff reduction rates dropped to below 70%. For the heaviest rainfall event during the observation period (81.4 mm), the runoff reduction rates of all the green roofs were less than 55%. The impacts of vegetation on the hydrological performance of green roofs changed with rainfall conditions. The differences between runoff reduction rates of green roofs with different types of vegetation cover were largest for the heavy rainfall events. For the moderate rainstorm events, the differences were slightly lower. For light rainfall events, however, no significant differences were observed among the runoff reduction rates of green roofs with different types of vegetation cover, as little runoff was generated. Vegetation cover could enhance the hydrological performance of green roofs, as the runoff and peak discharge reduction rates and time-delay of runoff generation and peak discharge of green roofs covered with vegetation were all better than those of the bare substrate for all the groups of rainfall events except the light rainfall. Vegetation-covered green roofs with P. grandiflora performed the best, as the average height and aboveground biomass per unit area of P. grandiflora were the largest.