Welcome | The Peggy Notebaert
Nature Museum
LIVE WEB CAM
HOME
Science is always looking for verifiable data to support conclusions.
At the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, the data are collected on the
North Roof. The numbers tell the story… but only part of it.
Green roofs help decrease the urban heat island, an effect that would
be like having a giant bubble over the city skyline. City pavement
and rooftops absorb sunlight and radiate heat, making the air hot.
In Chicago, these dark surfaces make up about 48% of Chicago’s
landscape. To contrast the difference between a green roof and normal
roofing we are measuring these temperatures and displaying them below.
AUDIO: COLLECTING THE DATA
Take a look at our live data.
Temp
- Wind direction
Comparing
Temperatures from the green and dark roof area
Camera 1 - Our
roof and the City of Chicago
Camera 2 - The
green roof and North Pond
Camera 3 - Our
green roof and Lake Michigan
Camera 4 - The
growing roof
A GREEN ROOF CAN ABSORB A GREAT DEAL OF WATER
During the first few rain storms on our new green roof, the soil and
plants absorbed a good deal of the water and delayed the flow of excess
water off the roof. The reduction and delay of flow helps to relieve
the stress on our drain pipes and sewer systems, and the filtration
effect reduces non-point source pollution.
Without the green roof all the rain water would have flooded our drains
within minutes, combining with all the other intense flows from the
streets and other hard surfaces. Depending on the rain rate this could
overwhelm the sewer systems and cause flooding. With the green roof
system we reduced the amount of water coming off the roof and delayed
its flow for many hours, thus giving time for street water to drain
away without flooding.
The
Chart