Sustainability

The modern engineering discipline and practice is changing. Engineers are major players in sustainable development. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) outlined in its policy statement principles to follow. In short, engineers need to work in a broad collaboration with stakeholders and across disciplines to first define the right project, and then do the project right. In a changing world, engineering solutions need to be versatile and adaptive. We need to plan for resiliency, use resources wisely, and look at the entire life cycle of the product or service.

Sustainable Urban Drainage (SuDS)

More frequent intense rainfall is expected with climate change. Existing urban infrastructure in cities, i.e. the underground pipelines that collect the rainfall from roofs and streets, are both aging and often, improperly sized. They are expensive to replace. Sustainable Urban Drainage Solutions (SuDS) mitigate the flooding hazard in the urban environment using natural processes such as soil infiltration. The solutions include green roofs, rain gardens, ponds, and swales are often referred as blue-green, as they enhance vegetation and surface water in the urban environment. Besides providing engineering functions such as reducing water quantity and improving water quality, these solutions also promote biodiversity, recreation and wellbeing in the urban environment. SuDS is a central element of achieving „Sustainable Cities“ Sustainable Development Goal nr. 11 

Dr. Andradóttir has led diverse research on runoff and SuDS elements performance under harsh winter conditions, that involve high winds, repeated rain-on-snow and freeze-thaw cycles. In the research project „SuDS in Cold Climate“ funded by the Icelandic Research Fund (í. rannsóknasjóði Rannís) 2018-2022, the hydrological performance of swales was tested.  The research was conducted in collaboration with the University of Lund and the Agricultural University of Iceland, as well as with local stakeholders, such as.  Garðabær Municipality, Urriðaholt ehf, Veitur ehf, Alta ehf. The newest reseach focuses on the multifunctional benefits of SuDS. 

Publications pertaining to runoff and SuDS in Cold Climate

• Zaqout, T. and Andradóttir, H.Ó. (in review). Impacts of climate change on winter floods: Spatial variability, trends, and bivariate frequency of rain-on-snow and soil frost.
• Zaqout, T.,  Andradóttir, H.Ó. , and Sörensen, J. (2023). Trends in soil frost formation in a warming maritime climate and the impacts on urban flood risk, J. of Hydrology, 617, 128978
• Zaqout, T.,  Andradóttir, H.Ó., and Arnalds, Ó. (2022). Infiltration capacity in urban areas undergoing frequent snow and freeze-thaw cycles: Implications on Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems, J. of Hydrology, 607, 127495

• Zaqout, T. and Andradóttir, H.Ó. (2021). Hydrologic performance of grass swales in cold maritime climates: Impacts of frost, rain-on-snow and snow cover on flow and volume reduction, J. of Hydrology, 126159
• Andradóttir, H.Ó., Arnardóttir, A.R. and Zaqout, T. (2021). Rain on snow induced urban floods in cold maritime climate: Risk, indicators and trends, Hydrol. Proc., 14298
• Bjarni Haldórsson (2021). Influence of repeated freeze-thaw cycles on the infiltration of Icelandic Andosols. MS thesis, University of Iceland.
• Halla Einarsdóttir (2018). Árstímabundin virkni léttra gróðurþaka á Íslandi; Seasonal performance of extensive green roofs in Iceland. MS thesis, University of Iceland.
• Andradóttir, H.Ó. (2017). Impact of wind on storm water pond particulate removal, J. Environ. Eng. ASCE, 10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0001221 
• Andradóttir, H.Ó., and Mortamet, M.L. (2016). Impact of wind on storm water pond hydraulics, J. Hydraulic. Eng. ASCE, DOI:10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0001150 , 04016034
• Eyrún Pétursdóttir (2016). Key Factors for the Implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems in Iceland. MS thesis, University of Iceland.
• Ágúst Elí Ágústsson. (2015). Græn þök á Íslandi. Greining á vatnsheldni grænna þaka miðað við íslenska veðráttu; E. Green roofs in Iceland, analysis of water retention in relation to Icelandic climate. MS thesis, University of Iceland.
• Andradóttir, H.Ó., and Vollertsen, G.E. (2015). Temporal variability of heavy metals in suburban road runoff in rainy cold climate, J. Environ. Eng. ASCE, 141(3).
• Hlöðversdóttir, Á.Ó., Björnsson, B., Andradóttir H.Ó., Elíasson, J. and Crochet, P. (2015). Assessment of flood hazard in a combined sewer system in Reykjavik city center, Water Sci. Tech., 71(10), 1471–1477. DOI:10.2166/wst.2015.119