Effects of Vegetation Density and Arrangement on Sediment Budget in a Sediment-Laden Flow
Understanding the effects of riparian vegetation under sediment-laden flow is becoming crucial due to the increase in frequency of extreme weather events. This study designed three densities and nine random distributions of bent flexible vegetation in flume experiments under sediment-laden flow. Sed...
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doaj-103af82e654d499fbf18401e64aab3ba2020-11-25T00:16:18ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412018-10-011010141210.3390/w10101412w10101412Effects of Vegetation Density and Arrangement on Sediment Budget in a Sediment-Laden FlowJin-Fu Li0Samkele S. Tfwala1Su-Chin Chen2Department of Soil and Water Conservation, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, TaiwanDepartment of Geography, University of Swaziland, Kwaluseni M201, SwazilandInnovation and Development Centre of Sustainable Agriculture (IDCSA), Department of Soil and Water Conservation, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, TaiwanUnderstanding the effects of riparian vegetation under sediment-laden flow is becoming crucial due to the increase in frequency of extreme weather events. This study designed three densities and nine random distributions of bent flexible vegetation in flume experiments under sediment-laden flow. Sediments were continually added to the flume at a rate of 21 kg/h to simulate a natural river environment in a sediment-laden flow. The results showed that the evolutionary process of bed form under sediment-laden flow could be divided into four stages: scouring, development, recovery, and deposition stages, forming a dynamic cycle. Dunes were formed and backwater caused them to develop upstream, while structural resistance developed the dunes downstream. Contrary to clear water regime, sediments were deposited upstream of the vegetation area and scour occurred behind the vegetation. In addition, the vertical velocity profile showed to be dependent on the vegetation structure and four clear zones were identified: fixed, bent, canopy, and developed zones. The findings from this study provide crucial information towards river management through understanding the diverse vegetation effects under sediment-laden flows.http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/10/10/1412sediment-laden flowclear water regimeriparian vegetationsediment budget |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Jin-Fu Li Samkele S. Tfwala Su-Chin Chen |
spellingShingle |
Jin-Fu Li Samkele S. Tfwala Su-Chin Chen Effects of Vegetation Density and Arrangement on Sediment Budget in a Sediment-Laden Flow Water sediment-laden flow clear water regime riparian vegetation sediment budget |
author_facet |
Jin-Fu Li Samkele S. Tfwala Su-Chin Chen |
author_sort |
Jin-Fu Li |
title |
Effects of Vegetation Density and Arrangement on Sediment Budget in a Sediment-Laden Flow |
title_short |
Effects of Vegetation Density and Arrangement on Sediment Budget in a Sediment-Laden Flow |
title_full |
Effects of Vegetation Density and Arrangement on Sediment Budget in a Sediment-Laden Flow |
title_fullStr |
Effects of Vegetation Density and Arrangement on Sediment Budget in a Sediment-Laden Flow |
title_full_unstemmed |
Effects of Vegetation Density and Arrangement on Sediment Budget in a Sediment-Laden Flow |
title_sort |
effects of vegetation density and arrangement on sediment budget in a sediment-laden flow |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Water |
issn |
2073-4441 |
publishDate |
2018-10-01 |
description |
Understanding the effects of riparian vegetation under sediment-laden flow is becoming crucial due to the increase in frequency of extreme weather events. This study designed three densities and nine random distributions of bent flexible vegetation in flume experiments under sediment-laden flow. Sediments were continually added to the flume at a rate of 21 kg/h to simulate a natural river environment in a sediment-laden flow. The results showed that the evolutionary process of bed form under sediment-laden flow could be divided into four stages: scouring, development, recovery, and deposition stages, forming a dynamic cycle. Dunes were formed and backwater caused them to develop upstream, while structural resistance developed the dunes downstream. Contrary to clear water regime, sediments were deposited upstream of the vegetation area and scour occurred behind the vegetation. In addition, the vertical velocity profile showed to be dependent on the vegetation structure and four clear zones were identified: fixed, bent, canopy, and developed zones. The findings from this study provide crucial information towards river management through understanding the diverse vegetation effects under sediment-laden flows. |
topic |
sediment-laden flow clear water regime riparian vegetation sediment budget |
url |
http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/10/10/1412 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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1725383354103103488 |