Sustainable Sites Flashcards
What is albedo and how does it relate to the heat island effect?
a metric used to define the reflectivity of an object from darkest black to white on a scale from 0 to 1. An object or surface with a high albedo reflects more sunlight because it is lighter in color, thereby contributing less to the heat island effect.
What is the term for a body of saturated rock through which water can easily move, and how does the hardscape of a project site affect it?
Aquifier.
When rainwater falls on the hardscape of a site and proper rainwater mgmt practices are not in place, the natural hydrology of the site is disrupted and aquifiers cannot be replenished.
Explain biodiversity and its importance to an ecosystem.
the variety of all life on earth.
plants animals, insects, micro-organisms, and humans. Biodiversity increases the productivity of an ecosystem and can help it prevent or recover from many disasters. A well-balanced diverse ecosystem provides clean air and water and controls erosion.
What is a bioswale, and how is it used in passive rainwater management?
a constructed rainwater control feature containing an engineered basin, soil, stone, and vegetation designed to reduce rainwater runoff and increase groundwater recharge. Bioswales are designed into landscapes to hold rainwater, clean it, and allow it to drain back into the earth.
Define wet ponds and dry ponds, and explain the difference between them.
Dry pond: (detention pond) an excavated area designed to hold rainwater during rain event, but dry when no precipitation. Dry ponds control peak flows of runoff, help inprove water quality, and lessen the effects of erosion.
Wet pond: (retention pond) area that maintains a permanent pool of water thru most of the year. Wet ponds remove pollutants by allowing sediment to settle as water slowly moves from one end to the other.
Wet ponds are typically able to remove more pollutants, but dry ponds are more common, less expensive to install, an require less maintenance.
Define ecosystem and explain how the Sustainable Site (SS) category protects ecosystems.
complex set of interconnected relationships between living organisms. (plants, trees, animals, fish, birds, micro-organisms, water, soil, humans)
The sustainable sites category protects ecosystems by requiring a project team to control erosion, complete and evironmental site assessment, plan the location of their project to minimize environm. impact of construction, protect habitats, manage rainwater, and minimize the effects of heat islands and light pollution.
Define floor-area ratio (FAR) and explain how it is used to lessen the environmental impact of a project site.
the density of nonresidential land use as total nonresid. bldg. floor area divided by the total buildable land area available for nonresid. structures.
building up instead of out reduces footprint and provides more open space, reduces amt of hardscape and promotes more effective rainwater mgmt strategies.
What is green infrastructure (GI)?
a patchwork of natural areas that provide habitat, flood protection, clean air, and clean water at the scale of a city or a county, as well as the rainwater mgmt systems that mimic nature by soaking up and storing water at the scale of a neighborhood or site.
What is the heat island effect and what can project teams do to reduce it?
the absorption of solar heat by hardscapes (roofs, roads, parking lots, sidewalks, including cars, HVAC equip. and street and bldg lighting.
By using high-reflectance materials, the effects can be reduced.
Explain how impervious and pervious materials affect natural hydrologies.
Impervious = prevents penetration of liquids of gases. These can disrupt the infiltration of rainwater back intot he earth and cause excessive runoff and erosion. Surfaces constructed with pervious materials (pervious pavers, pervious concrete) allow the infiltration of rainwater back into the earth while avoiding excessive runoff and soil erosion.
