Aquatic suspended canopies are porous obstacles that extend down from the free-surface but have a gap between the canopy and bed. Examples of suspended canopies include those formed by aquaculture structures or floating vegetation. The major difference between suspended canopies and the more common submerged canopies, which are located on the bottom boundary, is the influence of the bottom boundary layer beneath the suspended canopy. Data from laboratory experiments are presented which explore aspects of the flow through and beneath suspended canopies constructed from rigid cylinders. The experiments, using both acoustic Doppler and two-dimensional (2D) particle tracking velocimetry, give details of the flow structure that may be divided vertically into a bottom boundary layer, a canopy shear layer, and an internal canopy layer. The experimental data show that the penetration of the shear layer into the canopy is limited by the distance between the canopy and bottom boundary layer. Peaks in velocity spectra indicate an interaction between the bottom boundary and canopy shear layer. An analytical model is also developed that can be used to calculate a drag coefficient that includes the effect of both canopy drag and bed friction. This drag coefficient is suitable for use in 2D (depth-averaged) hydrodynamic modeling. The model also allows the average velocity within and beneath the canopy to be calculated, and is used to investigate the effect of canopy density and thickness on both total drag and bottom friction.

Closure of "Depth-Averaged Drag Coefficient for Modeling Flow through Suspended Canopies"

In this paper, an analytical model that represents the streamwise velocity distribution for open channel flow with submerged flexible vegetation is studied. In the present vegetated flow modelling, the whole flow field has been separated into two layers vertically: a vegetated layer and a non-vegetated free-water layer. Within the vegetated layer, an analysis of the mechanisms affecting water flow through flexible vegetation has been conducted. In the non-vegetated layer, a modified log-law equation that represents the velocity profile varying with vegetation height has been investigated. Based on the studied analytical model, a sensitivity analysis has been conducted to assess the influences of the drag ( C D ) and friction ( C f ) coefficients on the flow velocity. The investigated ranges of C D and C f have also been compared to published values. The findings suggest that the C D and C f values are non-constant at different depths and vegetation densities, unlike the constant values commonly suggested in literature. This phenomenon is particularly clear for flows with flexible vegetation, which is characterised by large deflection.

Submerged flexible vegetation impact on open channel flow velocity distribution: An analytical modelling study on drag and friction

Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) are efficient at wastewater treatment; however, data and physical models describing water flow through them remain limited. A two-domain model is proposed dividing the flow region into an upper part characterizing the flow through suspended vegetation and an inner part describing the vegetation-free zone. The suspended vegetation domain is represented as a porous medium characterized by constant permeability thereby allowing Biot's Law to be used to describe the mean velocity and stress profiles. The flow in the inner part is bounded by asymmetric stresses arising from interactions with the suspended vegetated (porous) base and solid channel bed. An asymmetric eddy viscosity model is employed to derive an integral expression for the shear stress and the mean velocity profiles in this inner layer. The solution features an asymmetric shear stress index that reflects two different roughness conditions over the vegetation-induced auxiliary bed and the physical channel bed. A phenomenological model is then presented to explain this index. An expression for the penetration depth into the porous medium defined by 10% of the maximum shear stress is also derived. The predicted shear stress profile, local mean velocity profile, and bulk velocity agree with the limited experiments published in the literature.

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2019WR025131

Mean Velocity and Shear Stress Distribution in Floating Treatment Wetlands: An Analytical Study

Hydrodynamic Response of a Floating Aquaculture Farm in a Low Inflow Estuary

Willow bush growing in floodplains is a dominant form of vegetation in lowland river valleys due to the availability of water and light. Uncontrolled growth of this plant results in a lower capacity of floodplain areas. Vegetation can narrow the active width of water flow, as well as change water flow velocities at hydrometric verticals falling within the floodplain and the main channel. This paper analyses the impact of long-term growth of willow shrubs on flow resistance coefficient values. Both an increase in the average diameter and the density characterised by the average distance between branches have a significant impact on reducing the flow. The adopted research variants were based on data on the growth rate of the most popular species and forms of willow found in the floodplains of the Warta River above the Jeziorsko reservoir. Two research scenarios were analysed, including data from 12 years, on the development of floodplain vegetation. The first scenario included only the change in diameter (vegetation grew on a cultivation plot), whereas the density remained constant. The second scenario investigated the inverse model—vegetation growing in an uncontrolled manner. The analysis of the tests proved the impact of various bush development scenarios on flow conditions. The results, referred to in the available research papers, indicated the importance of the dynamics of shrub development to the local flow conditions. It was stated that reduction in the flow, depending on the analysed scenario, could reach 45% for scenarios in which the only considered factor was the increase in diameter (at a constant density), and up to 70% in the case of increase in the density of vegetation. Thorough knowledge of this phenomenon may help manage and maintain natural river valleys.

The Impact of Shrubby Floodplain Vegetation Growth on the Discharge Capacity of River Valleys

Modeling streamwise velocity and boundary shear stress of vegetation-covered flow

This study implemented three analytical models to investigate the lateral distribution of depth-averaged streamwise velocity in a rectangular channel with lateral, unevenly-distributed, flexible submerged vegetation. Secondary flow, vegetation drag, and turbulent shear were introduced into the momentum equations to represent the interaction between vegetation and flow. Comparison of model results and experimental data indicated that predictions were improved with a mixing layer model, which considers the secondary flow term in the mixing region, particularly for channels with a high aspect ratio. The research established a relationship between the vegetation drag coefficient and the Reynolds number. A sensitivity analysis of the dimensionless eddy viscosity coefficient and bed friction factor indicated that the coefficient had as significant an impact as the second factor on the lateral velocity profile. A reasonable dimensionless eddy viscosity coefficient is essential to predict velocity accurately.

Li Chen

Papers

Modeling streamwise velocity and boundary shear stress of vegetation-covered flow

Lateral velocity distribution in open channels with partially flexible submerged vegetation