What happens to nitrogen and phosphorus nutrient contributions from green roofs as they age? A review
Lim, H.S. (2023) What happens to nitrogen and phosphorus nutrient contributions from green roofs as they age? A review. Environmental Advances, 12. 100366.
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Abstract
Green roofs (GR) have gained widespread popularity in cities due to their multiple benefits. This review synthesizes the latest knowledge around GR ageing and the associated changes in nutrient runoff quality from GRs. Most GR studies have focused on water quality trends for the first 10 years. Information about nutrient levels in runoff, vegetation, and substrate for older GRs (>10 years) is extremely limited and based on monitoring at snapshot points in time, rather than continuously over time, mainly for GRs in Europe, UK and the USA. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) levels in GR runoff are initially high, especially in the first-year post-installation (NO3: 0.08-100 mg/L, PO4: 0.01-13 mg/L) and subsequently decline to lower concentrations over time (NO3: 0.05-7 mg/L, PO4: 0.01-1.2 mg/L for GRs over 10 years old). Green roof substrate received most research attention but there is growing interest in how vegetation and microbiome characteristics change with time. The review provides a conceptual model of GR ageing that includes the impacts of seasonal changes and other disturbances (e.g., fertilizer applications, extreme events) on nutrient runoff quality. Recommendations for GR design and management are also provided. Future areas of research should focus on long-term holistic monitoring of all GR components across more climate zones, especially arid and tropical climate zones. Studies comparing GRs of different ages are encouraged. Ageing experiments conducted under controlled laboratory conditions complement field monitoring studies and provide a continuous timeline of changes in GR components and runoff quality as they age.
| Item ID: | 78017 |
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| Item Type: | Article (Research - C1) |
| ISSN: | 2666-7657 |
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| Copyright Information: | © 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
| Date Deposited: | 03 Apr 2023 23:14 |
| FoR Codes: | 33 BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND DESIGN > 3399 Other built environment and design > 339999 Other built environment and design not elsewhere classified @ 20% 41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4104 Environmental management > 410499 Environmental management not elsewhere classified @ 80% |
| SEO Codes: | 18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1806 Terrestrial systems and management > 180699 Terrestrial systems and management not elsewhere classified @ 100% |
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