Vegetable covers are an effective measure of adaptation to climate change in the Mediterranean

Vegetable covers are an effective measure of adaptation to climate change in the Mediterranean https://i1.wp.com/www.eresviral.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Las-cubiertas-vegetadas-son-una-medida-efectiva-de-adaptación-al-cambio-climático-en-el-Mediterráneo.png?fit=260%2C40&ssl=1

Vegetable covers are an effective measure of adaptation to climate change in the Mediterranean





Vegetable covers are an effective measure of adaptation to climate change in the Mediterranean


A study led by researchers from the Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering of the Universitat Politècnica de València (IIAMA-UPV) (Spain) shows that vegetated covers are an effective measure of adaptation to climate change in the Mediterranean, as they provide good hydrological yields and reduce runoff production at source.



This is the main conclusion of the article "Hydrological Performance of Green Roofs at Building and City Scales under Mediterranean Conditions", published in the scientific journal Sustainability and that has been done by Ignacio Andrés Doménech (IIAMA-UPV), Sara Perales Momparler (Green Blue Management), Adrián Morales-Torres (iPresas) and Ignacio Escuder-Bueno (IIAMA).



The research has compared the hydrological performance of a vegetated cover and a conventional cover under Mediterranean climatic conditions in two different scales: at the plot or building level, and at the city scale.



"Different studies indicate that the performance of this green infrastructure varies greatly due to its hydroclimatic exposure, especially with respect to rainfall regime (frequency, rainfall volumes) and soil moisture conditions, so it was necessary to quantify its performance in an area with a dry climate, like the Mediterranean, "explains Ignacio Andrés.



In fact, the IIAMA researcher recalls that the European Commission recognizes the management of rainwater in cities, as one of the most important challenges in the fight against climate change, "being vegetated roofs a type of green infrastructure that can help improve mitigation and adaptation to global change ".







(Photo: IIAMA)



The study was developed in the city of Benaguasil (València), where in 2014, 315 square meters of conventional roof were rehabilitated in a public building, turning it into a green roof.



A rain gauge was installed to analyze the precipitation data during the monitored period, from June 2014 to June 2015. Likewise, the generated flows were monitored by the adjacent conventional roof, with an area of ​​240 m 2. On the other hand , to analyze the efficiency of the vegetated cover in the long term, we analyzed by mathematical modeling the response of both covers for the pluviometric series during the period of 1990-2006, as explained by Ignacio Andrés Doménech.



"To carry out the research, a hydrological model was developed using the SWMM software (Storm Water Management Model) of the EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency). In this sense, the calibration and validation of the building-scale model is done with the data recorded in both covers, while the long-term hydrological yield is estimated by simulating the historical series of rains of 17 years. Finally, the effect of vegetation cover on the hydrological response at the city scale is analyzed through a hypothetical urban area, representative of the cities of the region, "states the UPV professor.



The results obtained in the research show that in the long term the hydrological efficiency of the vegetated cover is high, and the runoff volumes are significantly reduced with respect to those produced by a conventional cover.



Specifically, at the city level, the results determine that the effective range of rain that can be controlled by the vegetated cover varies between 15 and 20 mm, which corresponds to the most frequent rain events. In this sense, Ignacio Andrés argues that the average runoff coefficients in Mediterranean conditions can be reduced up to 75%, "in a scenario in which half of the roofs were transformed into vegetated roofs."



In addition, the researcher of the IIAMA emphasizes that to these hydrological benefits, other environmental and landscape advantages are added that make this type of SUDS "a promising solution to face the urban challenges caused by climatic threats".



Vegetated covers are a specific type of SUDS that consists of living vegetation areas that are installed on the upper part of the buildings, which promotes the reduction of the amount and contamination of the runoff generated on these surfaces, and that also provide ecosystem services such as aesthetic benefits, ecological added value and an improvement of the thermal performance of the building. (Source: IIAMA)

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