Similarity & Instability in Flows Over Permeable Layers (Invited)
Abstract
Permeable obstructions (such as seagrass meadows) are prevalent in the benthic region of freshwater and coastal environments. Their impact on the near-bed flow, turbulence and vertical transport is profound. Here, I use particle imaging and point velocity measurements in both steady and oscillatory flows to demonstrate three salient features of environmental flows over permeable layers: (1) A framework developed for vegetation canopies has the capacity to predict flow, turbulence and mixing properties over a wide range of permeable layers (from sediment beds to coral reefs to 'urban' canopies to ancient rangeomorph communities). (2) Steady flows are characterized by the development of a Kelvin-Helmholtz-type instability at the interface between the permeable layer and the free flow. These coherent structures dominate vertical mixing at the interface and generate regular oscillations in flow and transport. The height of the permeable layer relative to its drag length scale defines three regimes of obstructed shear flow. (3) Such instability is also observed in oscillatory flow when both the Reynolds and Keulegan-Carpenter numbers exceed threshold values. This is important in the prediction of residence time in ecologically-significant benthic habitats that exist in shallow (and therefore, typically, wave-dominated) coastal regions.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013AGUFM.H51M1372G
- Keywords:
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- 4211 OCEANOGRAPHY: GENERAL Benthic boundary layers