A laboratory and numerical study of transverse momentum exchange in vegetated channels

Transverse exchange processes of mass and momentum in floodplain regions of channels are of primary importance regarding the sediment transport and riverbank stability. The presence of large horizontal coherent structures (LHCSs) at the interface of the floodplain and main channel regions may contribute up to 90% the amount of transverse...

Bed level change in the Upper Rhine Delta and Niederrhein

The Rhine reach comprising the Niederrhein and the Upper Rhine Delta is characterized by a long history of engineering interventions. The area is densely populated and the Rhine, the main inland waterway in Europe, justifying the need for such measures. Interventions have had a strong impact on morphodynamic channel characteristics. We use bed...

Improved floodplain vegetation roughness for 1D hydraulic models

1D hydraulic models are largely used to simulate the propagation of flood waves and for flood mapping along river systems. The most common approach to account for the hydraulic effects of vegetated floodplains consists of imposing higher roughness coefficients. However, the flow resistance of vegetation is governed by plant submergence, which is...

Bank erosion in regulated navigable rivers: Towards a process-based model of bank retreat

After the European Water Framework Directive, riverbanks in several countries had the protections removed to improve the water quality and the river ecosystem. Particularly, the Meuse River currently has several kilometres of freely eroding banks, which may have consequences for other river functions such as navigation and flood conveyance. The...

Inundation modelling for fluvial and pluvial flooding during typhoons: a case study in Shanghai city

The co-occurrence of storm surge, high tides and heavy precipitation increases flood probability and potential consequences compared to each hazard separately in Delta cities. The Huangpu River (HP) is a tributary of the Yangtze River in China, which drains Tai Lake to the west of Shanghai city, and meanders through downtown Shanghai. During...

Applying adaptive design for the replacement of a weir in the Meuse River: a case study

The nature of the Meuse River is more than any other major river in the Netherlands formed by the presence of weirs. These were constructed almost one century ago to enable transport of coal; nowadays, the boundary conditions have changed and will continue to change in the future. The weirs reach the end of their lifetime around 2030; during...

Bed-material transport over entrance sills at longitudinal training walls

Groynes have been replaced by longitudinal training walls in an 11-km long pilot project to optimize training of the river Waal in the Netherlands. These train­ ing walls improve navigability, reduce flood levels, create a sheltered second channel with more favourable ecological conditions, and decrease the erosive action on the river bed that...