Effect of vegetation on flows and sediment transport

Abstract

Vegetation is a common feature in natural coastal and riverine waters, interacting with both water flow and sediment transport. However, the physical processes governing these interactions are still poorly understood, which makes it difficult to predict sediment transport and associated morphodynamics in a vegetated environment. In this context, an experimental study was conducted in laboratory with a movable bed trapped in artificial vegetation. The experimental flume is a rectangular open channel 5.75 m long and 0.29 m wide. For flow measurements, the channel is equipped with a fast camera and ADV probe. This work focuses on identifying the vegetation effects on flows and sediment transport. In fact, it was shown that the vegetation presence in a watercourse promotes deposition and sediment accumulation. This is explained by a reduction of the bed shear stress, since the friction occurs mainly by the drag force effect exerted by the vegetation. It was shown too that the vegetation reduced the bedload transport. Thanks to the partitioning of shear stress, it was possible to predict the bedload transport using standard formulas with a reasonable accuracy.