Contrasting the differences in the micro-environment of green and conventional roofs in Toronto, Canada.

Purpose: To see how temperature, soil moisture, and light availability differ between green and conventional rooftops at York University, Toronto.

Hypothesis: Green roofs ameliorated the microclimate of a building by absorbing solar radiation, resulting in cooler temperatures and less evapotranspiration.

To compare how green roofs may alter the temperature, evapotranspiration or solar radiation, we placed four sets of three Parrot Flower Power sensors in 6” pots filled with soil. Each set of pots and Flower Power sensors were be placed on two green roofs and two non-green roofs at York University. These four roofs were surveyed from September 16th to November 9th and data collected periodically. Soil moisture changes within the pots was used as a proxy for the evapotranspiration rate on top of the roofs. Data points were extracted for each day using the software Web Plot Digitizer. One set of loggers on a tradional roof did not record for the duration of the season.