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1. Benthic Flow and Mixing in a Shallow Shoal Grass (Halodule wrightii) Fringe

   https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11030115  

   Cannon, David; Kibler, Kelly; Kitsikoudis, Vasileios (March 2021, Geosciences)

   null (Ed.)

   Mean flow and turbulence measurements collected in a shallow Halodule wrightii shoal grass fringe highlighted significant heterogeneity in hydrodynamic effects over relatively small spatial scales. Experiments were conducted within the vegetation canopy (~4 cm above bottom) for relatively sparse (40% cover) and dense (70% cover) vegetation, with reference measurements collected near the bed above bare sediment. Significant benthic velocity shear was observed at all sample locations, with canopy shear layers that penetrated nearly to the bed at both vegetated sites. Turbulent shear production (P) was balanced by turbulent kinetic energy dissipation (ϵ) at all sample locations (P/ϵ≈1), suggesting that stem-generated turbulence played a minor role in the overall turbulence budget. While the more sparsely vegetated sample site was associated with enhanced channel-to-shore velocity attenuation (71.4 ± 1.0%) relative to flows above bare sediment (51.7 ± 2.2%), unexpectedly strong cross-shore currents were observed nearshore in the dense canopy (VNS), with magnitudes that were nearly twice as large as those measured in the main channel (VCH; VNS/VCH¯ = 1.81 ± 0.08). These results highlight the importance of flow steering and acceleration for within- and across-canopy transport, especially at the scale of individual vegetation patches, with important implications for nutrient and sediment fluxes. Importantly, this work represents one of the first hydrodynamic studies of shoal grass fringes in shallow coastal estuaries, as well as one of the only reports of turbulent mixing within H. wrightii canopies. 

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2. Controls of local grain size distribution, bed structure and flow conditions on sediment mobility

   https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5599  

   Smith, Heidi E. J.; Monsalve, Angel D.; Turowski, Jens M.; Rickenmann, Dieter; Yager, Elowyn M. (May 2023, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms)

   Abstract Steep, boulder bed streams often contain sediment patches, which are areas of the bed with relatively well‐defined boundaries that are occupied by distinct grain size distributions (GSD). In sediment mixtures, the underlying GSD affects the critical Shields stress for a given grain size, which is commonly predicted using hiding functions. Hiding functions may vary with reach‐wide bed GSD, but the effect of local GSD on relative sediment mobility between sediment patches is poorly understood. We explore the effects of patch‐scale GSD on sediment mobility using tracer particles combined with local shear stresses to develop hiding functions for different patch classes within a steep stream. Hiding functions for all tested patch classes were similar, which indicates that the same hiding function can be used for different patches. However, the critical Shields stress for a given grain size generally decreased with lower patch median grain size (D₅₀) suggesting that patches control the relative mobility of each size through both the underlying GSD and local shear stresses. The effects of the underlying GSD partly depend on grain protrusion, which we measured for all grain sizes present on each patch class. Protrusion was generally greater for larger grains regardless of patch class, but for a given grain size, protrusion was increased with smaller patchD₅₀. For a given grain size, higher protrusion results in greater applied fluid forces and reduced resisting forces to partly explain our lower critical Shields stresses in finer patches. Patches therefore can importantly modulate relative sediment mobility through bed structure and may need to be included in reach‐scale sediment transport and channel stability estimates. 

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3. Recovery of salt marsh vegetation after ice-rafting

   https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14294  

   Nordio, G; Fagherazzi, S (May 2023, Marine Ecology Progress Series)

   Sediment transport on salt marsh platforms is usually brought about through storm events and high tides. At high latitudes, ice-rafting is a secondary mechanism for sediment transport, redistributing sediment from tidal flats, channels, and ponds to marshland. In January 2018, winter storm Grayson hit the North Atlantic coast, producing a large storm surge and a significant decrease in temperature. The Great Marsh in Plum Island Sound, Massachusetts, USA, experienced an unprecedented sediment deposition due to ice-rafting, burying marsh vegetation. Plant vegetation recovery was investigated in 17 sediment patches, dominated by Spartina patens , Distichlis spicata, Juncus gerardi , and S. alterniflora . The analysis was carried out considering the number of stems and stem height for each vegetation species. D. spicata firstly occupied bare patches, while S. patens , once smothered by sediment, regrew slowly. The number of stems of S. patens inside the sediment patches recovered, on average, after 2 growing seasons. The number of J. gerardi stems was not significantly affected by ice-rafted sediment deposition. S. alterniflora dynamics were different depending on physical and edaphic conditions. At some locations, S. alterniflora did not recover after sediment deposition. The deposition of the sediment layer had a positive effect on vegetation vigor, increasing stem height and maintaining high stem density. The results suggest a beneficial effect of sediment deposition not only for marsh accretion, but also for marsh vegetation growth, both of which are fundamental for marsh restoration. 

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4. Mangrove roots model suggest an optimal porosity to prevent erosion

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-88119-5  

   Kazemi, Amirkhosro; Castillo, Luciano; Curet, Oscar M. (December 2021, Scientific Reports)

   null (Ed.)

   Abstract Mangrove swamps are extremely productive ecosystems providing many ecological services in coastal regions. The hydrodynamic interactions of mangrove roots and water flow have been proposed as a key element to mitigate erosion. Several studies reveal that precise prediction of the morphological evolution of coastal areas, in the face of global warming and the consequent sea-level rise, requires an understanding of interactions between root porosity (the fraction of the volume of void space over the total volume), water flows, and sediment transport. Water flows around the mangrove prop roots create a complex energetic process that mixes up sediments and generates a depositional region posterior to the roots. In this work, we investigated the boundary layer behind permeable arrays of cylinders (patch) that represent the mangrove roots to explore the impact of patch porosity on the onset of sediment transport. The flow measurements were performed in a vertical plane along the water depth downstream of the mangrove root models. A high-resolution Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) was used in a flume to observe the impact of porosity on the mean flow, velocity derivatives, skin friction coefficient, and production of turbulent kinetic energy for Reynolds number of 2500 (based on patch diameter length-scale). Here, we proposed a predictive model for critical velocity for incipient motion that takes into account the mangrove roots porosity and the near-bed turbulence effect. It is found that the patch with the $$\phi =47\%$$ ϕ = 47 % porosity, has the maximum critical velocity over which the sediment transport initiates. We found the optimum porosity has the minimum sediment erosion and creates negative vorticity sources near the bed that increases the critical velocity. This signifies an optimum porosity for the onset of sediment transport consistent with the porosity of mangroves in nature. The phenomenological model is elucidated based on an analysis of the vorticity evolution equation for viscous incompressible flows. For the optimum porous patch, a sink of vorticity was formed which yielded to lower the near-bed turbulence and vorticity. The minimum velocity fluctuations were sufficient to initiate the boundary layer transition, however, the viscous dissipation dominated the turbulence production to obstruct the sediment transport. This work identified the pivotal role of mangrove root porosity in sediment transport in terms of velocity and its derivatives in wall-bounded flows. Our work also provides insight into the sediment transport and erosion processes that govern the evolution of the shapes of shorelines. 

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5. An Eddy‐Resolving Numerical Model to Study Turbulent Flow, Sediment, and Bed Evolution Using Detached Eddy Simulation in a Lateral Separation Zone at the Field‐Scale

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JF006149  

   Alvarez, Laura V.; Grams, Paul E. (October 2021, Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface)

   Abstract Turbulence‐resolving simulations elucidate key elements of fluid dynamics and sediment transport in fluvial environments. This research presents a feasible strategy for applying state‐of‐the‐art computational fluid mechanics to the study of sediment transport and morphodynamic processes in lateral separation zones, which are common features in canyon rivers where massive lateral flow separation causes large‐scale turbulence that controls sediment erosion and deposition. An eddy‐resolving model was developed and tested at the field‐scale, coupling a viscous flow and sediment transport solver using Detached Eddy Simulation techniques. A morphodynamic model was applied to the viscous flow/sediment solver to calculate erosion and deposition. A simulation of turbulence was performed at the grid resolution for a straight channel to determine the relative contributions of modeled and resolved diffusivity. The time‐dependent, energetically important, correlative, non‐stationary signals of the simulated quantities were captured at the lateral separation zone. Strong periodic signals featured by high amplitude were found at the separation zone, while low frequency pulsations were observed at the reattachment zone of the lateral separation zone. Interactions between the eddies and the loose bed boundaries resulted in erosion of sediment at the main channel followed by deposition at the primary eddy and eddy bars. 

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