Oscillatory flow through submerged canopies: 2. Canopy mass transfer

Abstract

Mass transfer rates from submerged canopies constructed from arrays of vertical cylinders were investigated for a range of different cylinder spacings under both unidirectional and oscillatory flow. Individual canopy elements made from gypsum were dissolved in fresh water to simulate the mass transfer of dissolved metabolites to and from canopies of living benthic organisms. Mass transfer rates under oscillatory flow were up to three times higher than values measured for a comparable unidirectional current. This enhancement was shown to be a strong function of the canopy element spacing. A model was developed to predict canopy mass transfer rates on the basis of the in‐canopy flow speed and was generalized to incorporate either unidirectional or oscillatory flow. Agreement between the modeled and experimentally measured mass transfer rates indicate that enhanced mass transfer to/from living benthic canopies under oscillatory flow is driven primarily by the higher in‐canopy water motion generated by the oscillatory flow, as detailed in the companion paper (Lowe et al., 2005).