Abstract
Recent studies have provided explicit analytical equations that can be used to quantify directly the hydrologic performance statistics of green roofs, such as runoff-reduction ratios. These equations were obtained based on simplified representations of the hydrologic and hydraulic processes occurring on and inside green roofs, as well as stochastic models describing local rainfall characteristics. To simplify derivations, these studies considered only saturation-excess runoff and neglected infiltration-excess runoff that may be generated from green roofs. We develop a method for considering both saturation- and infiltration-excess runoff; the proposed analytical equations can be used to directly quantify the performance statistics of any type of green roof. Systematic comparisons of analytical and numerical simulation results were also conducted to demonstrate the accuracy of the analytical equations. As an alternative to numerical simulations, the analytical equations can be used by engineers to more conveniently quantify the performances of alternative green roof configurations.
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Data Availability Statement
All data and models used during the study are available from the corresponding author upon request.
Acknowledgments
This work has been supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. The comments made by the four anonymous reviewers and the editor helped a lot in improving this paper. The hand-written annotations provided by one of the reviewers helped greatly and are very much appreciated.
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Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 27 • Issue 4 • April 2022
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© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Apr 7, 2021
Accepted: Jan 11, 2022
Published online: Feb 15, 2022
Published in print: Apr 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Jul 15, 2022
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