Marco Ghisalberti

Mixing layers and coherent structures in vegetated aquatic flows

[1]xa0To date, flow through submerged aquatic vegetation has largely been viewed as perturbed boundary layer flow, with vegetative drag treated as an extension of bed drag. However, recent studies of terrestrial canopies demonstrate that the flow structure within and just above an unconfined canopy more strongly resembles a mixing layer than a boundary layer. This paper presents laboratory measurements, obtained from a scaled seagrass model, that demonstrate the applicability of the mixing layer analogy to aquatic systems. Specifically, all vertical profiles of mean velocity contained an inflection point, which makes the flow susceptible to Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. This instability leads to the generation of large, coherent vortices within the mixing layer (observed in the model at frequencies between 0.01 and 0.11 Hz), which dominate the vertical transport of momentum through the layer. The downstream advection of these vortices is shown to cause the progressive, coherent waving of aquatic vegetation, known as the monami. When the monami is present, the turbulent vertical transport of momentum is enhanced, with turbulent stresses penetrating an additional 30% of the plant height into the canopy.

Retention time and dispersion associated with submerged aquatic canopies

[1]xa0The shear layer at the top of a submerged canopy generates coherent vortices that control exchange between the canopy and the overflowing water. Unlike free shear layers, the vortices in a canopy shear layer do not grow continuously downstream but reach and maintain a finite scale determined by a balance between shear production and canopy dissipation. This balance defines the length scale of vortex penetration into the canopy, δe, and the region of rapid exchange between the canopy and overflow. Deeper within the canopy, transport is constrained by smaller turbulence scales. A two-box canopy model is proposed on the basis of the length scale δe. Using diffusivity and exchange rates defined in previous studies, the model predicts the timescale required to flush the canopy through vertical exchange over a range of canopy density and height. The predicted canopy retention times, which range from minutes to an hour, are consistent with canopy retention inferred from tracer observations in the field and comparable to retention times for some hyporheic regions. The timescale for vertical exchange, along with the in-canopy velocity, determines the minimum canopy length for which vertical exchange dominates water renewal. Shorter canopies renew interior water through longitudinal advection. Finally, canopy water retention influences longitudinal dispersion through a transient storage process. When vertical exchange controls canopy retention, the transient storage dispersion increases with canopy height. When longitudinal advection controls water renewal, dispersion increases with canopy patch length.

The limited growth of vegetated shear layers

[1]xa0In contrast to free shear layers, which grow continuously downstream, shear layers generated by submerged vegetation grow only to a finite thickness. Because these shear layers are characterized by coherent vortex structures and rapid vertical mixing, their thickness controls exchange between the vegetation and the overlying water. Experiments conducted in a laboratory flume show that the growth of these obstructed shear layers is arrested once the production of shear-layer-scale turbulent kinetic energy (SKE) is balanced by dissipation of SKE within the canopy. This equilibrium condition, along with a mixing length closure scheme, was used in a one-dimensional numerical model to predict the mean velocity profiles of the experimental shear layers. The agreement between model and experiment is very good, but field application of the model is limited by a lack of description of the drag coefficient in a submerged canopy.

Model and laboratory study of dispersion in flows with submerged vegetation

[1]xa0Vegetation is ubiquitous in rivers, estuaries, and wetlands, strongly influencing water conveyance and mass transport. The plant canopy affects mean and turbulent flow structure, and thus both advection and dispersion. Accurate prediction for the transport of nutrients, microbes, dissolved oxygen and other scalars depends on our ability to quantify the impact of vegetation. In this paper, we focus on longitudinal dispersion, which traditionally has been modeled in vegetated channels by drawing analogy to rough boundary layers. This approach is inappropriate in many cases, as the vegetation provides a significant dead zone, which may trap scalars and augment dispersion. The dead zone process is not captured in the rough boundary model. This paper describes a new model for longitudinal dispersion in channels with submerged vegetation, and it validates the model with experimental observations.

Obstructed shear flows: similarities across systems and scales

In this paper, I show that a range of environmental flows are inherently dynamically similar. These flows, which are partially obstructed by a permeable medium, are here termed ‘obstructed shear flows’. Examples include aquatic flows over sediment beds, submerged vegetation canopies and coral reefs, as well as atmospheric flows over crop canopies, forests and cities (‘urban canopies’). While the density and geometry of the obstructions may vary, the drag in each system generates a velocity profile with an inflection point. This renders the flow unstable. Consequently, it is expected that (a )t he dominant interfacial turbulent structure in obstructed shear flows will be a Kelvin– Helmholtz-type vortex, and (b) that this instability will engender hydrodynamic similarities among obstructed shear flows. Such similarities have been hypothesized but not yet fully explored. An extensive review of existing data confirms these dynamic similarities on scales of O(mm) to O(10 m). The extent of shear penetration into the obstruction, which is a primary determinant of residence time in the obstruction, scales upon the drag length scale. Other relationships that link the strength of turbulence and the ‘slip’ velocity at the top of the obstruction to the friction velocity (u∗) are also evident. The relationships presented here provide predictive capability for flow and transport in obstructed shear flows and suggest the possibility of a single framework to describe such flows on all scales. Flows over permeable media (here termed ‘obstructed shear flows’) are ubiquitous in the environment. Such permeable media include sediment beds, submerged vegetation canopies and coral reefs in the aquatic environment and crop canopies, forests and cities in the terrestrial environment. The physical, chemical and biological properties of the fluid within the permeable medium often differ greatly from those of the fluid outside it. It is therefore critical that we understand the rate at which momentum, mass and heat are exchanged between the two regions. In the study of such varied phenomena as pore water fluxes from sediments, the impact of forests on the global carbon cycle or the amelioration of water quality by submerged vegetation, our predictive capabilities are limited. There is direct experimental evidence of Kelvin–Helmholtz-type vortices in flows over vegetation canopies (figure 1). This instability, commonly observed in densitystratified flows (Kundu & Cohen 2004) and regions where parallel streams merge

Canopy Flow Analysis Reveals the Advantage of Size in the Oldest Communities of Multicellular Eukaryotes

VIDEO ABSTRACTnAt Mistaken Point, Newfoundland, Canada, rangeomorph fronds dominate the earliest (579-565 million years ago) fossil communities of large (0.1 to 2 m height) multicellular benthic eukaryotes. They lived in low-flow environments, fueled by uptake [1-3] of dissolved reactants (osmotrophy). However, prokaryotes are effective osmotrophs, and the advantage of taller eukaryotic osmotrophs in this deep-water community context has not been addressed. We reconstructed flow-velocity profiles and vertical mixing using canopy flow models appropriate to the densities of the observed communities. Further modeling of processes at organismal surfaces documents increasing uptake with height in the community as a function of thinning of the diffusive boundary layer with increased velocity. The velocity profile, produced by canopy flow in the community, generates this advantage of upward growth. Alternative models of upward growth advantage based on redox/resource gradients fail, given the efficiency of vertical mixing. In benthic communities of osmotrophs of sufficient density, access to flow in low-flow settings provides an advantage to taller architecture, providing a selectional driver for communities of tall eukaryotes in contexts where phototropism cannot contribute to upward growth. These Ediacaran deep-sea fossils were preserved during the increasing oxygenation prior to the Cambrian radiation of animals and likely represent an important phase in the ecological and evolutionary transition to more complex eukaryotic forms.

Transport in aquatic canopies

This is the first book that reviews problems in different fluid mechanics disciplines that led to the concept of canopy, or penetrable roughness.

Challenges in transferring knowledge between scales in coastal sediment dynamics

‘Packaging’ coastal sediment transport into discrete temporal and spatial scale bands is necessary for measurement programs, modelling, and design. However, determining how to best measure and parameterize information, to transfer between scales, is not trivial. An overview is provided of the major complexities in transferring information on coastal sediment transport between scales. Key considerations that recur in the literature include: interaction between sediment transport and morphology; the influence of biota; episodic sediment transport; and recovery time-scales. The influence of bedforms and landforms, as well as sediment-biota interactions, varies with spatio-temporal scale. In some situations, episodic sediment dynamics is the main contributor to long-term sediment transport. Such events can also significantly alter biogeochemical and ecological processes, which interact with sediments. The impact of such episodic events is fundamentally influenced by recovery time-scales, which vary spatially. For the various approaches to scaling (e.g., bottom-up, aggregation, spatial hierarchies), there is a need for fundamental research on the assumptions inherent in each approach.

Sludge accumulation and distribution impact the hydraulic performance in waste stabilisation ponds

Waste stabilisation ponds (WSPs) are used worldwide for wastewater treatment, and throughout their operation require periodic sludge surveys. Sludge accumulation in WSPs can impact performance by reducing the effective volume of the pond, and altering the pond hydraulics and wastewater treatment efficiency. Traditionally, sludge heights, and thus sludge volume, have been measured using low-resolution and labour intensive methods such as sludge judge and the white towel test. A sonar device, a readily available technology, fitted to a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was shown to improve the spatial resolution and accuracy of sludge height measurements, as well as reduce labour and safety requirements. Coupled with a dedicated software package, the profiling of several WSPs has shown that the ROV with autonomous sonar device is capable of providing sludge bathymetry with greatly increased spatial resolution in a greatly reduced profiling time, leading to a better understanding of the role played by sludge accumulation in hydraulic performance of WSPs. The high-resolution bathymetry collected was used to support a much more detailed hydrodynamic assessment of systems with low, medium and high accumulations of sludge. The results of the modelling show that hydraulic performance is not only influenced by the sludge accumulation, but also that the spatial distribution of sludge plays a critical role in reducing the treatment capacity of these systems. In a range of ponds modelled, the reduction in residence time ranged from 33% in a pond with a uniform sludge distribution to a reduction of up to 60% in a pond with highly channelized flow. The combination of high-resolution measurement of sludge accumulation and hydrodynamic modelling will help in the development of frameworks for wastewater sludge management, including the development of more reliable computer models, and could potentially have wider application in the monitoring of other small to medium water bodies, such as channels, recreational water bodies, and commercial ports.

From grey to green: Efficacy of eco‐engineering solutions for nature‐based coastal defence

Climate change is increasing the threat of erosion and flooding along coastlines globally. Engineering solutions (e.g. seawalls and breakwaters) in response to protecting coastal communities and associated infrastructure are increasingly becoming economically and ecologically unsustainable. This has led to recommendations to create or restore natural habitats, such as sand dunes, saltmarsh, mangroves, seagrass and kelp beds, and coral and shellfish reefs, to provide coastal protection in place of (or to complement) artificial structures. Coastal managers are frequently faced with the problem of an eroding coastline, which requires a decision on what mitigation options are most appropriate to implement. A barrier to uptake of nature-based coastal defence is stringent evaluation of the effectiveness in comparison to artificial protection structures. Here, we assess the current evidence for the efficacy of nature-based vs. artificial coastal protection and discuss future research needs. Future projects should evaluate habitats created or restored for coastal defence for cost-effectiveness in comparison to an artificial structure under the same environmental conditions. Cost-benefit analyses should take into consideration all ecosystem services provided by nature-based or artificial structures in addition to coastal protection. Interdisciplinary research among scientists, coastal managers and engineers is required to facilitate the experimental trials needed to test the value of these shoreline protection schemes, in order to support their use as alternatives to artificial structures. This research needs to happen now as our rapidly changing climate requires new and innovative solutions to reduce the vulnerability of coastal communities to an increasingly uncertain future.