Developing Climate Resilience in Aridlands Using Rock Detention Structures as Green Infrastructure

The potential of ecological restoration and green infrastructure has been long suggested in the literature as adaptation strategies for a changing climate, with an emphasis on revegetation and, more recently, carbon sequestration and stormwater management. Tree planting and “natural” stormwater dete...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2021-10, Vol.13 (20), p.11268
Main Authors: Norman, Laura M., Ruddell, Benjamin L., Tosline, Deborah J., Fell, Michael K., Greimann, Blair P., Cederberg, Jay R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arid zones
Climate change
Climate change adaptation
Cooling effects
COVID-19
Dams
Detention basins
Drought
Environmental restoration
Floods
Geomorphology
Green infrastructure
Heat
High temperature effects
Humidity
Hydrogeomorphology
Hydrologic models
Hydrology
Infrastructure
Microclimate
Mitigation
Monitoring systems
Precipitation
Rain
Rainfall
Retention
Revegetation
Rocks
Sediments
Sensors
Soil erosion
Stormwater
Stormwater management
Temperature
Urban areas
Vegetation
Water shortages
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Summary:The potential of ecological restoration and green infrastructure has been long suggested in the literature as adaptation strategies for a changing climate, with an emphasis on revegetation and, more recently, carbon sequestration and stormwater management. Tree planting and “natural” stormwater detention structures such as bioswales, stormwater detention basins, and sediment traps are popular approaches. However, the experimental verification of performance for these investments is scarce and does not address rock detention structures specifically. This 3-year study investigates the infiltration, peak flow mitigation, and microclimate performance of a natural wash stormwater retention installation using one-rock dams in an urban park in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Field data collected during the study do not depict change in the hydrogeomorphology. However, hydrologic modeling, using data collected from the field, portrays decreases in peak flows and increases in infiltration at the treated sites. Additionally, we observe a lengthening of microclimate cooling effects following rainfall events, as compared with the untreated sites. In this urban arid land setting, the prospect that rock detention structures themselves could reduce warming or heat effects is promising.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su132011268