Combined effect of a mobile bed and floodplain edge vegetation on compound channel conveyance

Abstract

This technical note presents results from flume experiments conducted in a straight prismatic asymmetric compound channel with two different floodplain roughnesses and rigid emergent vegetation along the floodplain edge in combination with a mobile and fixed main channel bed, respectively. It is found that the contribution of floodplain roughness and vegetation along the floodplain edge to the bulk friction factor is considerably reduced when studied in combination with a mobile main channel bed featuring bedforms. This in turn means that the effect of vegetation along the floodplain edge on the conveyance capacity and bulk friction factor may be overestimated if it is studied solely with fixed bed conditions. The presented results reveal the need to improve our understanding of the complex interplay between mobile beds and vegetation along the floodplain edge and its combined effect on compound channel conveyance capacity and hydraulics.