Velocity Distribution in Channels with Submerged Vegetation

An experimental study is presented for investigating the effect of vegetation element geometry on the velocity distribution within and above the canopy. Three types of artificial submerged vegetation elements with common parts and different foliage are used, with two density patterns each. Detailed velocity profiles are obtained and compared at nine locations in the vegetation array. The velocity distribution above the canopy is found to closely follow a logarithmic law and its parameters, namely the shear velocity u*, zero-plane displacement height d and roughness height z(0) are determined. These depend on the vegetation density and type of element, but also on the particular position in the array. A unified velocity distribution over the water column is found appropriate for the case of stems with no foliage and also for the cases of compound elements at certain positions in the vegetation array but not at those where locally minimum velocity values occur at the foliage level. Moreover, the logarithmic profile obtained for the upper layer is seen to also fit well the measured velocities to a certain extent below the top of the canopy.