Author(s): Luiz E. D. de Oliveira; Davide Vanzo; Carlo Gualtieri; Nils P. Huber; Mario J. Franca
Linked Author(s): Luiz E. D. de Oliveira, Davide Vanzo, Nils P. Huber, Mário Franca
Keywords: Compound channel; Vegetated floodplain; Numerical modelling
Abstract: Rivers often exhibit a compound channel configuration, comprising a main channel and a floodplain. The influence of floodplain vegetation on flow structure varies depending on vegetation type (Juez et al., 2019). Despite the recognized role of riparian and floodplain vegetation in river hydrodynamics (Gurnell, 2014), many studies rely on simplified representations, often assuming homogeneous vegetation distributions. To address this limitation, we collected laboratory experimental data with natural floodplain vegetation distributions derived from a field survey in the Upper Rhine region near Rastatt, Germany. This study aims to validate a two-dimensional (2D) shallow water numerical model for assessing the impact of vegetation on the hydrodynamics of compound channels.
Year: 2025