Water Research
Dr. Natalie Kruse Daniels, director of the Environmental Studies program, is investigating the hydrological effects of the green roof. The amount of precipitation falling on the green roof is tracked using a tipping bucket rain gauge on the hard surface of the roof. The quantity and quality of runoff coming directly from the green roof beds are monitored using conductivity sensors and water level data loggers inside five flumes, one attached to each bed. The flow, conductivity, temperature, and volume of the runoff are currently being monitored. Dr. Kruse Daniels and her students compare these measurements to those of runoff from a traditional roof via a flume attached to a drain spout on the green roof, fed by the traditional roof above it.
Green roofs have been shown to improve the quality of storm water runoff by reducing metals and contaminants such as dissolved organic carbons, heavy metals, and nutrients. They can even neutralize runoff from acid rain and keep runoff at a lower temperature. However, some studies, such as York University's 2006 evaluation of an extensive green roof, suggest that green roofs can leach metals and create more nutrient pollution in runoff. Dr. Kruse Daniels seeks to analyze how the Schoonover green roof changes the quality and quantity of storm water runoff to determine what effect it is having on storm water management in Athens.
Dr. Amy Lynch (Assistant Professor, Geography) and Dr. Julio Arauz (Director, J. Warren McClure School of Emerging Communication Technologies) are also working on the green roof to develop low-cost real-time sensors to help monitor water flowing onto the roof. Thus, the water research on the Schoonover green roof is a collaborative effort by faculty from Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, The College of Arts and Sciences, and Scripps College.
More information on Ohio Watershed Data can also be found here.