Vegetation-generated turbulence does not impact the erosion of natural cohesive sediment
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.
Citation Information
Publication Year | 2024 |
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Title | Vegetation-generated turbulence does not impact the erosion of natural cohesive sediment |
DOI | 10.1029/2024GL109730 |
Authors | Autumn R. Deitrick, David K. Ralston, Christopher R. Esposito, Melissa Millman Baustian, Maricel Beltrán Burgos, Andrew J. Courtois, Heidi M. Nepf |
Publication Type | Article |
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Series Title | Geophysical Research Letters |
Index ID | 70256063 |
Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
USGS Organization | Wetland and Aquatic Research Center |