Author(s): Antonia Dallmeier; Francesco Caponi; Davide Vanzo; Hannah Schwedhelm; Rebekka Kopmann; Nils Ruther

Linked Author(s): Francesco Caponi, Davide Vanzo, Nils Rüther

Keywords: Shear stress partitioning; Vegetation drag; Sediment transport; Morphodynamics; Numerical modelling; OpenTELEMAC

Abstract: Vegetation significantly influences hydraulic and morphodynamic processes in rivers, yet accurately capturing these interactions in numerical models remains challenging. This study compares different formulations for adjusting vegetation drag and sediment transport in vegetated flows, implemented within the openTELEMAC modelling framework and evaluated using a simplified two-dimensional setup. The resulting morphological responses are interpreted in the context of trends reported in the literature. The analysis reveals substantial differences between the tested approaches and underscores the importance of selecting appropriate process representations when modelling biomorphodynamic behaviour. These findings provide a foundation for future model improvements and validation using laboratory experiments and field observations.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.64697/iahr.proc.ise2026.abs.218

Year: 2026