Plant Ecology in a Changing World
  • Topics
    • Topic Overview
    • Biomes and Climates in a Changing World >
      • Adaptation, biodiversity, and environment
      • Climate constrains plant distributions
      • Biome and climate relationships
      • Deserts
      • Grassland, savanna, and shrub biomes
      • Forest biomes
      • Alpine and tundra biomes
    • Plant adaptation >
      • Plant microclimate 1
      • Plant microclimate 2
      • Leaf energy budgets
      • Water movement through the soil-plant continuum
      • Principles of photosynthesis
      • Photosynthesis responses to light and temperature
      • Environmental stresses limit resource capture and use
      • Nutrients in the environment
      • Adaptation to environmental stress
    • Resource Allocation Changes with Environment >
      • Architecture and canopy processes
      • Plant phenology and resource allocation enhance performance
      • Leaf economic spectrum
      • Life history and reproduction
      • Defense against herbivory
      • Plant competition
    • Plant Responses to a Changing World >
      • Global changes occurring today
      • Invasive species
      • Atmospheric CO2 impacts plant
      • C3/C4 photosynthesis and climate
      • Climate change and the global carbon cycle
      • Climate warming and its impacts
    • Engineering Plant Communities >
      • Remember Utah's past and envision our future
      • Restoration ecology
      • Managed ecosystems
      • Utah urban ecology
      • Urban ecological futures
  • Assignments
    • Assignment Overview
    • Discussion
    • Problem sets
    • Ecology & Global Changes
    • Plant ecology policy
    • Defense of policy
    • Exam #1
    • Exam #2
  • Campus
    • Campus Overview
    • Grasses
    • Green infrastructure >
      • GI Overview
      • Stormwater >
        • GI 1
        • GI 2
        • GI 3
        • GI 4
        • GI 10
      • Green roof
      • Pollinator >
        • Pollinator species
    • Trees of the Wasatch
    • Shrubs of the Wasatch
    • Invasives
  • Biomes
    • Biome Overview
    • Climate diagrams
    • Vegetation sight-seeing trip
    • Biome images
  • Models
  • Lab

Stormwater green infrastructure across campus

On our campus, you will find many different designs of green infrastructure to manage stormwater flows before that runoff enters the stormwater or groundwater system. Two stormwater green infrastructure applications are common. First is to slow down the rate at which runoff water from impervious surfaces enters the stormwater system and allow for penetration into groundwater. Second is to act as a catchment, capturing stormwater and road pollutants water is then evaporated by plants or pollutants that are decomposed by the soil microbial community. We find many forms of stormwater green infrastructure on campus and below are links to five examples.The Center for Ecological Planning + Design is developing a Landscape Lab in Research Park to explore the functionality of different green infrastructure designs and different plant compositions.
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Gravel basins planted with a mix of native riparian and upslope vegetation
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Catchment without planted vegetationGI 4
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​High volume basin with native riparian vegetation
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Curbside catchment with native arid land vegetation
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​Narrow linear basin with native riparian vegetation
Jim Ehleringer, University of Utah