Experimental and numerical investigation on runoff reduction and water stress of green roofs with varying soil depth and saturated water content under dry–wet cycles

The soil layer is the most important structure for green roof runoff reduction and vegetation growth. The mechanisms of runoff reduction and water content of green roofs with varying soil depth and saturated water content (θ_s) under dry–wet cycles are not well understood. Field and numerical methodologies were adopted for investigation in this study. The green roof drainage and water content were observed for a given period (i.e., August 2020 to July 2021). A numerical model was calibrated and validated for the analysis of annual runoff reduction and water stress with different θ_s and soil depths. Based on climate in southern China, the green roof's annual runoff reduction rate (ARR) (100 mm soil) was 33%, and the annual water stress was 168 days. With an increase in θ_s by 0.1 mm³/mm³, the ARR of green roofs increased by an average of 5% while the water stress was reduced by an average of 32 days. With an increase in soil depth by 100 mm, the average ARR increased by 4%, whereas the average water stress was reduced by 6 days. It was shown that the runoff reduction is enhanced with an increasing θ_s and soil depth during a longer antecedent dry weather period, but it had no significant effect on runoff reduction during back-to-back rainfall events. Increasing soil depth had no significant improvement in runoff reduction and water stress beyond a certain point. Consequently, the optimal structural configuration of green roofs was considered as a soil depth of 200 mm (θ_s of 0.5 mm³/mm³).