Author(s): Alessandro Errico, Federico Preti, simona francalanci, Giovanni Battista Chirico, Luca Solari, Luca Solari

Linked Author(s): simona francalanci, Giovanni Battista Chirico, Luca Solari, Luca Solari

Keywords: Real scale experiments; Riparian vegetation management; Flow velocity fields; Resistance predictors;

Abstract: Real scale hydraulic tests were conducted to evaluate the impact of riparian plants on flow dynamics and global flow resistance in two drainage channels in a land reclamation area of northern Tuscany (Italy). The vegetation covering the channels was composed by Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. (common reed), under both submerged and emergent conditions. Four mobile pumps have been operated to adjust the flow rates in the two drainage channels with three vegetation management scenarios: I) natural vegetation cover; II) vegetation only on a portion of the channel and III) totally cleared vegetation. Cross sectional flow velocity distributions were evaluated by means of a propeller-type current meter and an acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV) positioned at instrumented cross sections along the two experimental channels. Canopy features (density, distribution and size of the stems) were surveyed across both the experimental stretches. The performances of different predictive models of the Chézy resistance coefficient were then evaluated against the experimental results.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3850/38WC092019-1215

Year: 2019