How Emergent Vegetation Patch Shapes Affect Flow Structure in Open Channel Environments

Abstract

Vegetation patches, which naturally occur in a variety of patterns, have an impact on the flow dynamics and geometry of rivers. There have been prior studies on vegetation patches, but none have examined the impact of differently shaped vegetation patch, i.e., circle, square and rectangle, and the comparison of these varying patch shapes from an ecological point of view. Hence, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique using FLUENT has been employed in the present research to evaluate the flow dynamics and turbulence characteristics around emergent vegetation patches of various forms in an open channel. The results show that the shape of vegetation patches had a significant impact on the approaching flow, with circular patch offering the highest flow resistance among all other configurations. Flow shedding behaviour behind the patch was also prominent in the case of circular patch shape with a formation of large Kármán vortex street with vortex sizes up to 1.5 times the patch diameter. In the downstream region of vegetation patch, a reduction of 25%–30% in the mean streamwise velocity was observed for circular patch, whereas a 15% decrease was observed for rectangular and square patches. The outcomes of this study found that flow turbulence and stability in the open channel are significantly influenced by vegetation patch shape. This research reveals that the shape of vegetation patches, particularly circular configuration, significantly influences flow dynamics, thereby enhancing habitat complexity in riverine ecosystems. These findings are vital for developing informed river restoration and management strategies that support biodiversity and promote ecological resilience.