The potential value of mosses for stormwater management in urban environments

Abstract

Plant-based stormwater management systems such as green roofs are typically composed exclusively of vascular plants. Yet, mosses have several desirable properties that could warrant their more widespread use in green roof applications. In natural systems mosses are important primary colonizers of bare ground, and their establishment improves water storage and provides numerous soil benefits including carbon and nitrogen sequestration. Additionally, mosses often facilitate the establishment and survival of vascular plants at otherwise environmentally harsh or stressful sites. Despite their potential value, few studies have investigated the functional performance of mosses on green roofs. In this study we evaluated the establishment success and potential stormwater performance of three candidate moss species. We also directly compared the runoff and thermal characteristics of replicate moss covered green roofs to vascular planted and bare roofs. Candidate mosses had high water holding capacities, storing 8–10 times their weight in water compared to only 1.3 times for typical green roof medium. Mock-up roof sections composed of mosses and medium had delayed and reduced runoff flows relative to medium only sections, although the magnitude of these effects varied with moss species. In field trials all three mosses survived a harsh rooftop environment with limited summer irrigation, although lateral growth after one year was minimal. Green roofs planted solely with Racomitrium canescens had between 12–24% higher stormwater retention than vascular or medium only roofs. Moss cover also ameliorated temperature fluctuations on green roofs. Hourly heating rates were buffered to a similar degree (less than half that of surface temperatures) 5 cm below the surface of both moss covered and medium only roofs. In contrast, cooling under the surface of the moss roof was nearly 6 times faster than under the medium only roof. These results demonstrate the potential for mosses to be valuable components of green roofs, either in combination with vascular plants or planted exclusively.