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Geosciences
Special Issues
Ecohydraulics and Ecomorphodynamics
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Ecohydraulics and Ecomorphodynamics

A special issue of Geosciences (ISSN 2076-3263).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 November 2020) | Viewed by 6370

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Rafael O. Tinoco

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
Interests: ecohydraulics; ecomorphodynamics; physical and biological processes; environmental fluid mechanics; sustainable energy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will focus on the morphodynamic effects of biota across multiple scales in natural and managed systems. The role of ecosystem engineers, the effect of biota on sediment and nutrient transport, bioturbation and bio stabilization by benthic communities, short-and long-term impacts of spawning and nesting habits, and the use of nature-based solutions for flood mitigation and coastal protection, are a few of the processes within the scope of this Special Issue.

Species acting as ecosystem engineers in rivers, wetlands, estuaries, and coastal areas, provide a wide variety of ecosystem services, which contribute to the morphodynamic evolution of these systems. The emphasis of this Special Issue is on: 1) identifying and quantifying the effects of biota-driven morphodynamic processes, and 2) bridging the gap between small-scale fundamental bio-physical processes and their parameterization for large scale predictions.

We welcome laboratory, field, and numerical studies, with emphasis on communication of findings across scales, to develop a suitable, multidisciplinary framework to address the challenges from such complex interactions between hydrodynamic, biological, and morphodynamic processes.

Dr. Rafael O. Tinoco
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Geosciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Ecohydraulics
  • Ecomorphodynamics
  • Ecosystem engineers
  • Nature based solutions
  • Flow-Biota interactions

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 997 KiB  
Article
A Functional Form for Fine Sediment Interception in Vegetated Environments
by Samuel Stein, Jordan Wingenroth and Laurel Larsen
Geosciences 2021, 11(4), 157; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/geosciences11040157 - 01 Apr 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1833
Abstract
The body of literature seeking to evaluate particle interception in vegetated, aquatic environments is growing; however, comparing the results of these studies is difficult due to large variation in flow regime, particle size, vegetation canopy density, and stem configuration. In this work, we [...] Read more.
The body of literature seeking to evaluate particle interception in vegetated, aquatic environments is growing; however, comparing the results of these studies is difficult due to large variation in flow regime, particle size, vegetation canopy density, and stem configuration. In this work, we synthesize data from these studies and develop a functional form of particle interception efficiency (η) as a function of stem Reynolds number (Rec), stem diameter, vegetation frontal area, particle–collector diameter ratio, flow velocity, and kinematic viscosity. We develop this functional relationship based on a dimensional analysis and hypothesize that the coefficients would exhibit regimes within different Rec ranges. We test this hypothesis by synthesizing data from 80 flume experiments reported in the literature and in-house flume experiments. Contrary to our hypothesis, data from different Rec ranges follow a single functional form for particle interception. In this form, η varies strongly with collector density and particle–collector diameter ratio, and weakly with Rec and particle–fluid density ratio. This work enables more accurate modeling of the flux terms in sedimentation budgets, which can inform ongoing modeling and management efforts in marsh environments. For example, we show that by integrating the new functional form of particle interception into established models of marsh elevation change, interception may account for up to 60% of total sedimentation in a typical silt-dominated marsh ecosystem with emergent vegetation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecohydraulics and Ecomorphodynamics)
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22 pages, 9717 KiB  
Article
Effects of Stem Density and Reynolds Number on Fine Sediment Interception by Emergent Vegetation
by Jordan Wingenroth, Candace Yee, Justin Nghiem and Laurel Larsen
Geosciences 2021, 11(3), 136; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/geosciences11030136 - 14 Mar 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2252
Abstract
Suspended sediment collected by vegetation in marshes and wetlands contributes to vertical accretion, which can buffer against rising sea levels. Effective capture efficiency (ECE), a parameter quantifying the fraction of incoming suspended particles directly captured by underwater vegetation surfaces, plays a key role [...] Read more.
Suspended sediment collected by vegetation in marshes and wetlands contributes to vertical accretion, which can buffer against rising sea levels. Effective capture efficiency (ECE), a parameter quantifying the fraction of incoming suspended particles directly captured by underwater vegetation surfaces, plays a key role in determining the significance of direct interception in morphodynamic models. The ways in which physical characteristics of collectors and transitionally turbulent flows affect ECE are not yet thoroughly understood. We conducted a set of 12 experiments at three flow velocities and three stem densities (plus equivalent zero-collector control experiments), plus four experiments where biofilm was allowed to accumulate. We determined that ECE decreases with increasing collector Reynolds number (study range: 66 to 200; p < 0.05 for two of three treatments) and increasing collector density (solid volume fraction: 0.22% to 1.17%; p < 0.05 for two of three treatments). Adding biofilm increased ECE in all cases, by a multiplicative factor ranging from 1.53 to 7.15 at different collector densities and biofilm growth durations. In some cases, the impact of biofilm on ECE far outweighed that of collector Reynolds number and density. By combining our data with those of one similar study, we present a preliminary model quantitatively assessing the effect of collector density on ECE. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecohydraulics and Ecomorphodynamics)
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15 pages, 4780 KiB  
Article
Benthic Flow and Mixing in a Shallow Shoal Grass (Halodule wrightii) Fringe
by David Cannon, Kelly Kibler and Vasileios Kitsikoudis
Geosciences 2021, 11(3), 115; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/geosciences11030115 - 03 Mar 2021
Viewed by 1625
Abstract
Mean flow and turbulence measurements collected in a shallow Halodule wrightii shoal grass fringe highlighted significant heterogeneity in hydrodynamic effects over relatively small spatial scales. Experiments were conducted within the vegetation canopy (~4 cm above bottom) for relatively sparse (40% cover) and dense [...] Read more.
Mean flow and turbulence measurements collected in a shallow Halodule wrightii shoal grass fringe highlighted significant heterogeneity in hydrodynamic effects over relatively small spatial scales. Experiments were conducted within the vegetation canopy (~4 cm above bottom) for relatively sparse (40% cover) and dense (70% cover) vegetation, with reference measurements collected near the bed above bare sediment. Significant benthic velocity shear was observed at all sample locations, with canopy shear layers that penetrated nearly to the bed at both vegetated sites. Turbulent shear production (P) was balanced by turbulent kinetic energy dissipation (ϵ) at all sample locations (P/ϵ≈1), suggesting that stem-generated turbulence played a minor role in the overall turbulence budget. While the more sparsely vegetated sample site was associated with enhanced channel-to-shore velocity attenuation (71.4 ± 1.0%) relative to flows above bare sediment (51.7 ± 2.2%), unexpectedly strong cross-shore currents were observed nearshore in the dense canopy (VNS), with magnitudes that were nearly twice as large as those measured in the main channel (VCH; VNS/VCH¯ = 1.81 ± 0.08). These results highlight the importance of flow steering and acceleration for within- and across-canopy transport, especially at the scale of individual vegetation patches, with important implications for nutrient and sediment fluxes. Importantly, this work represents one of the first hydrodynamic studies of shoal grass fringes in shallow coastal estuaries, as well as one of the only reports of turbulent mixing within H. wrightii canopies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecohydraulics and Ecomorphodynamics)
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