Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2013MD309B

Modeling the effects of green roof substrate organic matter on stormwater retention and plant-based water cycling (Graduate Fellowship)

Institute: Maryland
Year Established: 2013 Start Date: 2013-05-01 End Date: 2013-10-31
Total Federal Funds: $5,500 Total Non-Federal Funds: $12,584

Principal Investigators: Kaye Brubaker, Steven Cohan, John Lea-Cox

Project Summary: Green roofs are gaining popularity as stormwater management tools in the state of Maryland; however, little to no data are available authenticating green roof performance in the Mid-Atlantic region. University of Maryland scientists have been working to develop a predictive water balance-based model for green roof stormwater performance. Until now, the model used assumed values for maximum substrate water holding capacity based on substrate lab analyses. The project described in this proposal aims to further parameterize the predictive model by identifying green roof substrate organic content effects on substrate water holding capacity, root density, and the resultant rates of evapotranspiration.