Vegetative and thermal performance of an extensive vegetated roof located in the urban heat island of a semiarid region

Robbiati, Federico Omar; Cáceres, Natalia; Hick, Emmanuel Christian Bernard; Suárez, Mario Adolfo; Soto, S. J.; Barea, Gustavo; Matoff, Evangelina; Galetto, Leonardo; Imhof, Lelia

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.108791

Cited by 22 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…As reported by some authors, although the simultaneous presence of species and different growth shapes contributes to maximizing the provision of services on a green roof (reduction of substrate surface temperature, rainfall retention etc. ), it is not clear how greater diversity in shape behaves in different climates [ 66 , 69 , 70 ]. Therefore, greater research in this area is fundamental and this study contributes to furthering knowledge on these aspects, together with the possibility of broadening the range of succulent species which can be considered in the creation of extensive green roofs in the Mediterranean to maximize the functioning capacity of the systems.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growth and development of succulent mixtures for extensive green roofs in a Mediterranean climate

et al. 2022

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Green roof systems, aimed at reducing anthropic impact on the environment, are considered environmental mitigation technologies and adopted by many countries across the world to strengthen urban ecosystem services. This study evaluates two mixtures of succulent: one of Crassulaceae and the other of Aizoaceae, used in the creation of a continuous and homogenous plant groundcover in Mediterranean environments. To assess the species mixtures, the parameters plant height, growth index, cover percentage and flowering were observed. Hydrological observations were also carried out to evaluate the rainfall retained by the test system in any given month. All data were subjected to analysis of variance. Growth indicators in the study showed trends characteristic of xeric plants, which tend to slow down in dry, summer climate conditions to the point of halting plant vertical growth and ground cover development completely. The Aizocaeae mix, during the initial stage, showed prevalent horizontal growth, confirmed by greater a greater growth index (13,21) and cover percentage (45%) compared to Sedum (Growth index: 3,61; Cover: 36%). In contrast, the Sedum mix recorded greater vertical growth at the beginning (Sedum mixture: 7.53 cm; Aizoaceae mixture: 6,11 cm). During the final stages of observations, however, greater vertical growth in the Aizoaceae (7,88 cm) became apparent together with a recovery in horizontal growth in the Sedum (79%), albeit not sufficient to outperform the Aizoaceae mixture (87%). Flowering in the two mixtures occurred between late spring and late summer. The Sedum mixture guaranteed a longer flowering period (130 days) compared to the Aizoaceae (93 days), with a gradual start followed by steady flower emission. Regarding rainfall water retention, a comparison of the mixtures in late winter/early spring revealed that the Sedum performed best (44.9 L m2 vs 37.4 L m2), whilst the Aizoaceae outperformed the Sedum in Autumn (63 L m2 vs 55 L m2), in conjunction with favorable growth rates in both species mixtures. Both mixtures demonstrated satisfying results and are considered suited to a Mediterranean environment. Furthermore, based on the different growth rates of the species in the two test mixtures, this study suggests that new combinations of Sedum and Aizoaceae together might prove more resilient in Mediterranean environments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growth and development of succulent mixtures for extensive green roofs in a Mediterranean climate

et al. 2022

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“…Recently, thermal resilience in building design was shown to provide indoor comfort to face heatwaves (Flores-Larsen et al 2023), a factor that was considered in the modification of existing building codes for large cities such as Buenos Aires. This includes natural ventilation, envelope thermal insulation, green walls and roof (Flores-Larsen and Filippín 2021; Robbiati et al 2022). While there are examples of heat-informed urban planning and adaptation outside of the capital (Fabían et al 2021;Flores-Larsen and Filippín 2021), there would be notable benefits to their mainstreaming in other urban centers in heatwaveprone northern Argentina, some of which are up to twice as densely populated as Buenos Aires and home to a significant number of low-income populations (such as Rosario, Córdoba, Tucumán, and Corrientes).…”

Section: Vulnerability Exposure and Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

2022 early-summer heatwave in Southern South America: 60 times more likely due to climate change

et al. 2023

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A large area including the central-northern part of Argentina, southern Bolivia, central Chile, and most of Paraguay and Uruguay, experienced record-breaking temperatures during two consecutive heatwaves in late November and early December 2022. During the second heatwave, nine locations in northern Argentina registered their highest maximum temperature of December since at least 1961. Our analysis based on observational and reanalysis datasets indicate that South America, like the rest of the world, has experienced heatwaves increasingly frequently in recent years. The December 2022 heatwave has an estimated return time of 1 in 20 years in the current climate, meaning it has about a 5% chance of happening each year. To estimate how human-caused climate change has influenced the likelihood and intensity of the observed heatwave, we combined climate models with the observation-based data. We found that human-caused climate change made the event about 60 times more likely. A heatwave with a return period of 20 years would be about 1.4 °C less hot in a world without anthropogenic global warming. Heatwaves this early in the summer season pose a substantial risk to human health and are potentially lethal. This risk is aggravated by climate change, but also by other factors such as an aging population, urbanisation and the built environment, and individual behavior and susceptibility to the heat. This highlights the importance of attribution studies in a region already threatened and vulnerable to climate change.

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“…In other cases, exotics are indicated as viable solutions in contexts of low resource availability or significant disturbance [78][79][80][81], which are expected to increase with climate change [30]. Particularly in urban environments, exotics are presented as viable substitutes for natives that cannot cope with stressors or as complementary elements in mixed communities [21,45,82,83].…”

Section: Ecological Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

Native or Exotic: A Bibliographical Review of the Debate on Ecological Science Methodologies: Valuable Lessons for Urban Green Space Design

Carvalho

Raposo

Gomes

et al. 2022

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Knowledge from ecological sciences is an important reference for landscape design as Urban Green Spaces (UGS) play a critical role in the ecological protection of cities. There is an ongoing debate among ecologists on the value of exotic vegetation to ecosystem resilience and integrity, with authors arguing that in order for ecosystems to survive in future climates, exotic species with similar conditions in their current range must be considered. Others deem biodiversity vital for ecosystem functions and services, stating that most biodiversity losses are man-induced and should be addressed through the enhancement of native communities. Through a literature review, we confronted the arguments used in this debate, with the aim of conducting a comprehensive analysis of the potential of exotic and native vegetation in different aspects of the vegetation’s performance. The outcomes are important for the assessment of vegetation assemblages within UGS projects. Despite the strong arguments regarding their performative and adaptive capacity, we conclude that exotics pose significant ecological risks and have multiple negative impacts on ecosystem processes. Natives not only present high adaptive capacity, but also provide additional benefits for biodiversity, ecosystem integrity, and for people. In a broader framework, the literature demonstrates a preference for the use of native species in most situations.

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Vegetative and thermal performance of an extensive vegetated roof located in the urban heat island of a semiarid region

Cited by 22 publications

References 56 publications

Growth and development of succulent mixtures for extensive green roofs in a Mediterranean climate

Growth and development of succulent mixtures for extensive green roofs in a Mediterranean climate

2022 early-summer heatwave in Southern South America: 60 times more likely due to climate change

Native or Exotic: A Bibliographical Review of the Debate on Ecological Science Methodologies: Valuable Lessons for Urban Green Space Design

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