Vegetation‐Generated Turbulence Does Not Impact the Erosion of Natural Cohesive Sediment

Abstract Previous studies have demonstrated that vegetation‐generated turbulence can enhance erosion rate and reduce the velocity threshold for erosion of non‐cohesive sediment. This study considered whether vegetation‐generated turbulence had a similar influence on natural cohesive sediment. Cores...

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Main Authors: Autumn R. Deitrick, David K. Ralston, Christopher R. Esposito, Melissa M. Baustian, Maricel Beltrán Burgos, Andrew J. Courtois, Heidi Nepf
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024-07-01
Series:Geophysical Research Letters
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109730
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author Autumn R. Deitrick
David K. Ralston
Christopher R. Esposito
Melissa M. Baustian
Maricel Beltrán Burgos
Andrew J. Courtois
Heidi Nepf
author_facet Autumn R. Deitrick
David K. Ralston
Christopher R. Esposito
Melissa M. Baustian
Maricel Beltrán Burgos
Andrew J. Courtois
Heidi Nepf
author_sort Autumn R. Deitrick
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Previous studies have demonstrated that vegetation‐generated turbulence can enhance erosion rate and reduce the velocity threshold for erosion of non‐cohesive sediment. This study considered whether vegetation‐generated turbulence had a similar influence on natural cohesive sediment. Cores were collected from a black mangrove forest with aboveground biomass and exposed to stepwise increases in velocity. Erosion was recorded through suspended sediment concentration. For the same velocity, cores with pneumatophores had elevated turbulent kinetic energy compared to bare cores without pneumatophores. However, the vegetation‐generated turbulence did not increase bed stress or the rate of resuspension, relative to bare cores. It was hypothesized that the short time‐scale fluctuations associated with vegetation‐generated turbulence were not of sufficient duration to break cohesion between grains, explaining why elevated levels of turbulence associated with the pneumatophores had no impact on the erosion threshold or rate.
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institution OA Journals
issn 0094-8276
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publishDate 2024-07-01
publisher Wiley
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series Geophysical Research Letters
spelling doaj-art-bac236b65efb42a286256ea2ea68e4452025-08-20T01:51:55ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072024-07-015114n/an/a10.1029/2024GL109730Vegetation‐Generated Turbulence Does Not Impact the Erosion of Natural Cohesive SedimentAutumn R. Deitrick0David K. Ralston1Christopher R. Esposito2Melissa M. Baustian3Maricel Beltrán Burgos4Andrew J. Courtois5Heidi Nepf6Civil and Environmental Engineering M.I.T Cambridge MA USADepartment of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole MA USAThe Water Institute Baton Rouge LA USAU.S. Geological Survey Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Baton Rouge LA United States Previously at the Water Institute Baton Rouge LA USAThe Water Institute Baton Rouge LA USAThe Water Institute Baton Rouge LA USACivil and Environmental Engineering M.I.T Cambridge MA USAAbstract Previous studies have demonstrated that vegetation‐generated turbulence can enhance erosion rate and reduce the velocity threshold for erosion of non‐cohesive sediment. This study considered whether vegetation‐generated turbulence had a similar influence on natural cohesive sediment. Cores were collected from a black mangrove forest with aboveground biomass and exposed to stepwise increases in velocity. Erosion was recorded through suspended sediment concentration. For the same velocity, cores with pneumatophores had elevated turbulent kinetic energy compared to bare cores without pneumatophores. However, the vegetation‐generated turbulence did not increase bed stress or the rate of resuspension, relative to bare cores. It was hypothesized that the short time‐scale fluctuations associated with vegetation‐generated turbulence were not of sufficient duration to break cohesion between grains, explaining why elevated levels of turbulence associated with the pneumatophores had no impact on the erosion threshold or rate.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109730pneumatophoresturbulenceerosioncohesive sediment
spellingShingle Autumn R. Deitrick
David K. Ralston
Christopher R. Esposito
Melissa M. Baustian
Maricel Beltrán Burgos
Andrew J. Courtois
Heidi Nepf
Vegetation‐Generated Turbulence Does Not Impact the Erosion of Natural Cohesive Sediment
Geophysical Research Letters
pneumatophores
turbulence
erosion
cohesive sediment
title Vegetation‐Generated Turbulence Does Not Impact the Erosion of Natural Cohesive Sediment
title_full Vegetation‐Generated Turbulence Does Not Impact the Erosion of Natural Cohesive Sediment
title_fullStr Vegetation‐Generated Turbulence Does Not Impact the Erosion of Natural Cohesive Sediment
title_full_unstemmed Vegetation‐Generated Turbulence Does Not Impact the Erosion of Natural Cohesive Sediment
title_short Vegetation‐Generated Turbulence Does Not Impact the Erosion of Natural Cohesive Sediment
title_sort vegetation generated turbulence does not impact the erosion of natural cohesive sediment
topic pneumatophores
turbulence
erosion
cohesive sediment
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109730
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