Urban ecosystems and heavy rainfall

A Flood Regulating Ecosystem Service modelling approach for extreme events on the local scale

verfasst von

Thea Wübbelmann, Laurens M. Bower, Kristian Förster, Steffen Bender, Benjamin Felix Burkhard

Abstract

Increasing urbanisation in combination with a rise in the frequency and intensity of heavy rain events increase the risk of urban flooding. Flood Regulating Ecosystem Services (FRES) address the capacity of ecosystems to reduce the flood hazard and lower damage. FRES can be estimated by quantification of supply (provision of a service by an ecosystem) and demand (need for specific ES by society). However, FRES for pluvial floods in cities have rarely been studied and there is a gap in research and methods on FRES supply and demand quantification. In this study, we assessed FRES of an urban district in the City of Rostock (Germany) for a one-hour heavy rainfall event using the hydrological model LEAFlood. The hydrological model delivered the FRES supply indicators of soil water retention and water retained by canopies (interception). An intersection of the potential demand (based on indicators of population density, land reference value, monuments and infrastructure) and the modelled surface water depth revealed the actual demand. Comparing the actual demand and supply indicated the budget of FRES to identify unmet demand and supply surplus. Results show highest mean FRES supply on greened areas of forests, woodlands and green areas, resulting in a supply surplus. Whereas, sealed areas (paved surface where water cannot infiltrate into the soil), such as settlements, urban dense areas, traffic areas and industry, have an unmet demand resulting from low supply and relatively high actual demand. With the hydrological model LEAFlood, single landscape elements on the urban scale can be evaluated regarding their FRES and interception can be considered. Both are important for FRES assessment in urban areas. In contrast to flood risk maps, the study of FRES gives the opportunity to take into account the contribution of nature to flood regulation benefits for the socio-economic system. The visualisation of FRES supply and demand balance helps urban planners to identify hotspots and reduce potential impacts of urban pluvial flooding with ecosystem-based adaptations.

Organisationseinheit(en)

Institut für Physische Geographie und Landschaftsökologie
Institut für Hydrologie und Wasserwirtschaft
Arbeitsgruppe Physische Geographie

Externe Organisation(en)

Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht Zentrum für Material- und Küstenforschung GmbH
Helmholtz-Zentrum hereon GmbH

Typ

Artikel

Journal

One Ecosystem

Band

7

Publikationsdatum

16.09.2022

Publikationsstatus

Veröffentlicht

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Ökologie, Evolution, Verhaltenswissenschaften und Systematik, Natur- und Landschaftsschutz, Agrar- und Biowissenschaften (sonstige), Ökologie, Erdkunde und Planetologie (sonstige)

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

SDG 11 – Nachhaltige Städte und Gemeinschaften, SDG 15 – Lebensraum Land

Elektronische Version(en)

https://doi.org/10.3897/oneeco.7.e87458 (Zugang: Offen)