Assessing the Scale Dynamics of the Rainfall Retention of Green Roofs in a Subtropical Climate
Abstract
Various studies have provided insights about how green roof rainfall retention capacity is affected by factors including typology, vegetation, growing media’s physical-chemical-biological properties, drainage system, climate conditions, and roof age. Despite its importance, little has been studied about the effect of drainage area on green roof retention capacity. In this work, three experimental extensive green roof units with different drainage areas (1 m2, 3 m2, and 12 m2) were assessed to evaluate how the rainfall characteristics and the scale dynamics of the green roofs impact the retention during rainfall events. The findings showed that the drainage area had a significant impact on rainfall retention and outflow volumes. The average retention capacity increased, and the outflow generation capacity decreased with increasing drainage area. The largest green roof area (12 m2) presented better performance with respect to rainfall retention, being 36% higher than the 1 m2 area, and 13% higher than the 3 m2 green roof area. In turn, the performance of the 3 m2 green roof was 21% higher than the 1 m2 area. Factors such as rainfall depth and maximum 1-h rainfall intensity also affected the retention and outflow behavior. However, the antecedent dry weather period had little effect on retention and outflow, possibly due to frequent rainfall caused by subtropical climate.
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Drawing on examples from the Global North often has limited relevance because of socioenvironmental differences, thus cross-comparative research on the effectiveness of types of NbS across climate zones within countries is a critical need.
“Drawing on examples from the Global North often has limited relevance because of socioenvironmental differences, thus cross-comparative research on the effectiveness of types of NbS across climate zones within countries is a critical need (85).”
From Global synthesis and regional insights for mainstreaming urban nature-based solutions (2025) · cites this paper as [85]
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- Authors
- Persch, C. G., Tassi, R., Minetto, B., Allasia, D. G., & Rippel, E.
- Affiliations
- Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (BR)
- Professor, Dept. of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Federal Univ. of Santa Maria, Santa Maria 97105-900, Brazil. ORCID:
- Corresponding author
- Persch, Cristiano Gabriel
- Venue
- Journal of Environmental Engineering
- Published
- 2021-11
- Volume
- 147
- Issue
- 11
- ISSN
- 0733-9372 (ISSN-L)
- 1943-7870
- OpenAlex
- W3199300985
- Cited by
- 16
- References
- 70
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 3
- FWCI
- 0.97
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Environmental Engineering (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Urban Stormwater Management Solutions
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Urban Heat Island Mitigation
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Urban Agriculture and Sustainability
- Keywords
- green roofs, rainfall retention, drainage area, scale effects, extensive green roofs, runoff generation, rainfall characteristics, rainfall intensity, subtropical climate, urban stormwater management
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