Infiltrating into the paved garden – a functional evaluation of parcel imperviousness in terms of water retention efficiency

Verbeeck, Klaartje; Rompuy, Robrecht Van; Hermy, Martin; Orshoven, Jos Van

doi:10.1080/09640568.2013.819317

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Dunkerley (2000), in his review of interception methods, related that to the need to refine measurement techniques for these smaller plant types and he goes even further and implicated that most published estimates of interception loss are probably based on inadequate data and methods. Small plants and their vegetation nevertheless, are an integral part of urban vegetation and, due to their abundance in parks and private gardens, contribute to the water storage potential of urban green (Dewaelheyns et al, 2014;Verbeeck et al, 2013). From a management perspective, they are easier to install and sustain than trees and can be implemented in more diverse locations.…”

Section: Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ex-situ estimation of interception storage capacity of small urban plant species

Smets

Akkermans

Verbeiren

et al. 2019

Journal of Hydrology

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An important knowledge gap in current urban hydrological models are reliable, generic data about interception storage capacities of small urban plant species. These data are crucial to calculate interception losses and learning their effect on the urban hydrological cycle. This study addresses this knowledge gap through simulating rainfall events in an ex-situ, controlled environment on several urban plant species. Four plant species, Lonicera nitida, Lavandula angustifolia, Pennisetum alopecuroides and a grass mix were selected based on their abundance in urban environments and their morphological differences. Several vegetation characteristics such as height and diameter were altered to create as much variation as possible in the dataset to determine the underlying characteristics influencing the interception storage capacity. Estimating the interception storage capacity of each plant (S P ) using multiple linear regression models, biomass (B P ) was found to be the most important predictor variable for all species. Therefore predictive models to estimate the biomass of an individual plant were developed, using some easy to measure vegetation characteristics. When using the results of these biomass models as input in the storage capacity models, reasonable estimations of interception storage capacity were achieved with mean absolute errors between 17.7 and 40.8%, depending on the model. Extrapolating S P to a reference area of one m 2 showed that L. angustifolia had the highest interception storage capacity due to its high biomass density, followed by P. alopecuroides, L. nitida and finally the grass mix. As a proof of concept, a mixed modelling approach was proposed to include species not covered in this research in the analysis. The findings in this research can be used to create a firm basis for calculations of intra-and interspecies interception storage capacities, essential for improving current urban hydrological models.

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Section: Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ex-situ estimation of interception storage capacity of small urban plant species

Smets

Akkermans

Verbeiren

et al. 2019

Journal of Hydrology

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“…Several authors have attempted to quantify the contribution of urban trees on the total water balance. Some authors looked at large areas of urban cover and determined the water storage potential of the urban forest based on land cover derived maps (Gill et al, 2007;Haase, 2009;Verbeeck et al, 2013). Thereby they assign empirical storage capacity values to certain vegetation classes based on literature.…”

Section: The Urban Greenmentioning

confidence: 99%

The importance of city trees for reducing net rainfall: comparing measurements and simulations

Smets¹,

Wirion²,

Bauwens³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Abstract. An in-situ tree interception experiment was conducted to determine the hydrological impact of a solitary standing Norway maple and small-leaved lime in an urban environment. During the two-year experiment, rainfall data was collected and divided into interception, throughfall and stemflow. With approximately 38 % of the gross precipitation intercepted by both trees, the interception storage was higher than for similar studies done in Mediterranean regions. A regression analyses for the Norway maple found rainfall duration, rainfall amount and the tree's leaf area index to be the most important variables influencing interception storage. The regression analysis and the tree interception models by Gash and Rutter, as well as an adapted version of the Water and Energy Transfer between Soil, Plants and Atmosphere model (WetSpa), were tested for their accuracy in modelling the measured interception storage. The models in general overestimated interception storage for small interception events ( interception storage). The regression analysis wasn't stable throughout seasons, event sizes and trees making it unsuitable for generic use. The method of Gash slightly overperformed WetSpa and Rutter for all events throughout seasons and trees. However, WetSpa showed a better performance for rainfall events > 10 mm. A scenario analysis, featuring the construction of student houses on a university campus, demonstrated the potential of urban trees to retain rainfall water. Even though trees alone could not restore the natural hydrological balance, they could partly mitigate the increased runoff volume and peak discharge caused by sealing of the natural surface through decreasing the net rainfall that reaches the ground. This study highlights the role of solitary trees in an urban environment where natural hydrological processes are severely altered.

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The Nature Smart Cities business model: A rapid decision-support and scenario analysis tool to reveal the multi-benefits of green infrastructure investments

Oijstaeijen¹,

Silva²,

Back³

et al. 2023

Urban Forestry & Urban Greening

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Infiltrating into the paved garden – a functional evaluation of parcel imperviousness in terms of water retention efficiency

Cited by 8 publications

References 40 publications

Ex-situ estimation of interception storage capacity of small urban plant species

Ex-situ estimation of interception storage capacity of small urban plant species

The importance of city trees for reducing net rainfall: comparing measurements and simulations

The Nature Smart Cities business model: A rapid decision-support and scenario analysis tool to reveal the multi-benefits of green infrastructure investments

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