Assessment of a green roof practice using the coupled SWMM and HYDRUS models

Green roof can mitigate urban stormwater and improve environmental, economic, and social conditions. Various modeling approaches have been effectively employed to implement a green roof, but previous models employed simplifications to simulate water movement in green roof systems. To address this issue, we developed a new modeling tool (SWMM-H) by coupling the stormwater management and HYDRUS-1D models to improve simulations of hydrological processes. We selected green roof systems to evaluate the coupled model. Rainfall-runoff experiments were conducted for a pilot-scale green roof and urban subbasin. Soil moisture in the green roof and runoff volume in the subbasin were simulated more accurately by using SWMM-H instead of SWMM. The scenario analysis showed that SWMM-H selected sandy loam for controlling runoff whereas SWMM recommended sand. In conclusion, SWMM-H could be a useful tool for accurately understanding hydrological processes in green roofs. •A new green roof-modeling tool is developed by coupling the SWMM and HYDRUS models.•Rainfall-runoff event data are used to evaluate performance of the proposed model.•The proposed model outperformed in green roof simulation than SWMM.•The scenario analysis showed that new model is logical in reflecting hydrology.