Tatiana A. Sukhodolova

Case Study: Effect of Submerged Aquatic Plants on Turbulence Structure in a Lowland River

Interactions of aquatic plants with turbulent flows in fluvial systems have attracted considerable interest. While there have been recent advances in theories that describe vegetation-flow interactions in idealized laboratory flows, their practical application is still problematic due to limited knowledge of effects caused by heterogeneously (patchy) distributed plants in naturally formed vegetative mosaics in rivers. This paper reports on a study in a lowland river, aimed at quantification and parameterization of vegetation effects on redistribution of mean and turbulent characteristics of the flow and their consequences for hydraulic resistance. The measurements were carried out in summer on a river reach with a patchy mosaic dominated by submerged flexible aquatic plants and repeated at the same water level in early spring before the plants start growing. This design of the study allowed for quantitative evaluation of the effects caused by flow-plants interactions on bulk flow parameters at comparable submergences of riverbed roughness elements (sediment grains and sand bars). The study indicates that symmetrical quasi-two-dimensional open-channel flow structure in unvegetated riverbed was transformed into highly fragmented complex flow pattern spatially arranged by patches and free paths in the mosaic. Despite complexities and three dimensionality of the flow, normalized mean velocity profiles in the patches were satisfactory described by hyperbolic tangent function while flow in the free paths, similarly to unvegetated channel, was in a reasonable agreement with the conventional logarithmic law.

Shallow wake behind exposed wood-induced bar in a gravel-bed river

Recent theoretical research indicates that dynamics of shallow flows can be strongly affected by waves developing on the free surface. In this study a shallow wake with an oblique pressure wave behind a model of a tree-centered emergent bar is investigated in a gravel-bed river. A bar was constructed in a shallow river reach with nearly uniform flow. The structure of flow was assessed with an array of velocimeters. Flow visualization with a solute of fluorescent dye complemented the measurements and provided qualitative information on the wake behavior. This study indicates that quantitative criteria for shallow wakes classification developed in laboratory setups are not straightforward in explaining the field results. According to the wake stability criteria, the expected dynamics for examined wake flow is a vortex street (VS) type. Contrary to this expectation, measurements and visualizations in this study show that mean momentum differential and turbulent vortices in the wake decrease stronger than expected in VS type and therefore the wake should be classified as unsteady bubble type with a weak downstream instability. Analysis of velocity differential dynamics in the examined shallow wake suggests that the bed friction alone is insufficient to explain the inconsistency of VS criterion whereas accounting for advective fluxes driven by inhomogeneous pressure field leads to a correct prediction of the wake behavior.

Effects of macrophyte development on the oxygen metabolism of an urban river rehabilitation structure.

To compensate for fairway enlargements and the hydraulic impacts of navigation activity, an artificial rehabilitation structure was constructed in the urban, navigable River Spree in 2004. This wave-protected, shallow littoral zone proved to be highly effective in reducing vessel-induced waves and provided suitable conditions for the development of aquatic plants. However, in time it became less suitable for other aquatic organisms due to hypoxic conditions in late summer. This study aimed to comparatively calculate and analyze the oxygen balance of the rehabilitation structure and the main channel five years after the construction in 2009. In the rehabilitation structure, the production to respiration ratio ranged between 0.10 and 0.34 at the peak of vegetation density, while in the main channel in front of the rehabilitation structure it ranged between 0.67 and 0.86. Dense vegetation limited the water exchange and caused oxygen depletion. Thus, atmospheric oxygen input through the water surface and due to long-term water level changes became the most important supply processes for oxygen in the rehabilitation structure. Enhancing the oxygen supply to improve the suitability of the rehabilitation structure for other aquatic taxa requires an increase in water exchange with the main channel, e.g. by adaptively increasing the lateral connectivity.

Turbulent flow structure at a discordant river confluence: Asymmetric jet dynamics with implications for channel morphology

Only a handful of field studies have examined turbulent flow structure at discordant confluences; the dynamics of flow at such confluences have mainly been examined in the laboratory. This paper reports results of a field-based investigation of turbulent flow structure at a discordant river confluence. These results support the hypothesis that flow at a discordant alluvial confluence with a velocity ratio greater than two exhibits jet-like characteristics. Scaling analysis shows that the dynamics of the jet core are quite similar to those of free jets, but that the complex structure of flow at the confluence imposes strong effects that can locally suppress or enhance the spreading rate of the jet. This jet-like behaviour of the flow has important implications for morphodynamic processes at these types of confluences. The highly energetic core of the jet at this discordant confluence is displaced away from the riverbed, thereby inhibiting scour; however, helical motion develops adjacent to the jet, particularly at high flows, which may promote scour. Numerical experiments demonstrate that that the presence or absence of a depositional wedge at the mouth of tributary can strongly influence detachment of the jet from the bed and the angle of the jet within the confluence.

A study of flow dynamics and implications for benthic fauna in a meander bend of a lowland river

ABSTRACT Channel curvature and riffle-pool bathymetry in meandering streams control complex hydrodynamic and morphodynamic processes. This study investigates how spatial and temporal heterogeneities in flow hydraulics influence benthic fauna in a meander bend of a lowland sand-bed river. Spatial heterogeneity of riverbed morphology and secondary flow, induced by channel curvature, make pools hydraulically more diverse compared with riffles. Numerical simulations demonstrate that velocity reversal between riffles and pools in this meander bend produces spatially variable flow with complex temporal variations. Patterns of macro-invertebrates indicate an increase in population density from riffle to pool, reflecting an increase in diversity of abiotic factors. For most invertebrate species the observed patterns persisted during temporal variations of the flow. Considerable changes were observed only in some groups with specific preferences.

Effects of vegetation on turbulent flow structure in groyne fields

ABSTRACT Flow recirculation in groyne fields promotes accumulation of fine sediments and development of riparian and aquatic vegetation. Although flow hydrodynamics in groyne fields is subject of intensive ongoing research, knowledge of vegetation effects on recirculating flow remains lacking. This paper reports the results of field experiments in a natural river comprising large-scale groyne models populated with rigid and flexible artificial vegetation. In the experimental runs population density, submergence ratios, and vegetation types were varied. The results show that vegetation rearranges twin-circulation flow into slow backwater flow. The magnitude of backwater flow is controlled by the bio-mechanical properties of vegetation. The hydrodynamics of the flow interface between the main river and groyne fields was only slightly altered by vegetation. Analytical models of flow at the interface and inside vegetated areas agree well with these experimental results.