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Experimental study on vegetation flexibility as control parameter for wave damping and velocity structure
,
Dominic Reeve ,
Harshinie Karunarathna
Coastal Engineering, Volume: 157, Start page: 103648
Swansea University Authors:
Thomas van Veelen, Tom Fairchild , Dominic Reeve , Harshinie Karunarathna
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DOI (Published version): 10.1016/j.coastaleng.2020.103648
Abstract
Vegetation can contribute to coastal defence by damping incoming waves. However, prior studies have shown that attenuation varies greatly among plant species. Plant flexibility is a mechanical property that is commonly omitted, but varies greatly between shrubs and grasses on salt marshes. Therefore...
| Published in: | Coastal Engineering |
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| ISSN: | 0378-3839 |
| Published: |
Elsevier BV
2020
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa53312 |
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| Abstract: |
Vegetation can contribute to coastal defence by damping incoming waves. However, prior studies have shown that attenuation varies greatly among plant species. Plant flexibility is a mechanical property that is commonly omitted, but varies greatly between shrubs and grasses on salt marshes. Therefore, we present an experimental study in a laboratory wave flume with artificial vegetation that differs in flexibility only. We measured wave attenuation and water particle velocities around rigid and flexible salt marsh vegetation. Waves were measured using a series of gauges and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) was used to measure spatio-temporal variations of water particle velocities in the - plane around the vegetation. Our results show that flexible vegetation attenuates waves up to 70% less than rigid vegetation due to swaying of flexible plants. Furthermore, we find that rigid vegetation modifies the velocity structure, whereas flexible vegetation does not. Specifically, a mean current in the direction of wave propagation develops around the canopy and the horizontal particle velocities are amplified directly above the canopy. These results indicate that plant flexibility is a key parameter in the wave-vegetation interaction that controls wave damping and the velocity structure. |
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| Keywords: |
Salt marsh vegetation; Wave damping; Plant flexibility; PIV-Measurements; Flow velocities |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
UKRI, NE/N013573/1 |
| Start Page: |
103648 |