Turbulence Dictates Bedload Transport in Vegetated Channels Without Dependence on Stem Diameter and Arrangement

Vegetation provides habitat and nature-based solutions to coastal flooding and erosion, drawing significant interest in its restoration, which requires an understanding of sediment transport and retention. Laboratory experiments examined the influence of stem diameter and arrangement on bedload sediment transport by considering arrays of different stem diameter and mixed diameters. Bedload transport rate was observed to depend on turbulent kinetic energy, with no dependence on stem diameter, which was shown to be consistent with the impulse model for sediment entrainment. Existing predictors of bedload transport for bare beds, based on bed shear stress, were recast in terms of turbulence. The new turbulence-based model predicted sediment transport measured in model canopies across a range of conditions drawn from several previous studies. A prediction of turbulence based on biomass and velocity was also described, providing an important step toward predicting turbulence and bedload transport in canopies of real vegetation morphology.

Automated summary

Vegetation serves as habitat and natural solutions for coastal flooding and erosion, with restoration efforts requiring an understanding of sediment transport and retention. Laboratory experiments showed that bedload sediment transport rate is dependent on turbulent kinetic energy, rather than stem diameter, highlighting the importance of turbulence in predicting sediment transport.