Wooden fences are nature-based supporting structures to restore mangroves in the Mekong Delta. The hydraulic functioning of wooden fences was studied in previous studies. However, the role of bathymetry in the dissipation and damping of waves by wooden fences has not been studied yet. Thus, in this study, a numerical approach is used to find the effect of the position of fences and the foreshore bathymetry, including two particular slopes of 1/200 and 1/500, on wave damping due to wooden fences. The results show that the bottom slope significantly influences the dissipation of incoming waves, the so-called pre-dissipation, before damping by the wooden fences. Differences in pre-dissipation occur between fence locations along the cross-shore slopes. The higher pre-dissipation takes place for wooden fences closer to the land, as the depth-limited wave height at the fence reduces. The efficiency in wave damping of wooden fences is also increasing as the freeboard is becoming larger for the fence located closer landward.

Wooden fences are applied as a nature-based solution to support mangrove restoration along mangrove coasts in general and the Mekong Delta coast in particular. The simple structure uses vertical bamboo poles as a frame to store horizontal bamboo and tree branches (brushwood). Fence resistance is quantitatively determined by the drag coefficient exerted by the fence material on the flow; however, the behaviour of drag is predictable only when the arrangement of the cylinders is homogeneous. Therefore, for more arbitrary arrangements, the Darcy-Forchheimer equations need to be considered. In this study, the law of fluid flow was applied by forcing a constant flow of water through the fence material and measuring the loss of hydraulic pressure over a fence thickness. Fences, mainly using bamboo sticks, were installed with model-scale and full-scale diameters applying two main arrangements, inhomogeneous and staggered. Our empirical findings led to several conclusions. The bulk drag coefficient (C_D) is influenced by the flow regime represented by Reynolds number. The drag coefficient decreases with the increase of the porosity, which strongly depends on fence arrangements. Finally, the Forchheimer coefficients can be linked to the drag coefficient through a related porosity parameter at high turbulent conditions. The staggered arrangement is well-predicted by the Ergun-relations for the Darcy-Forchheimer coefficients when an inhomogeneous arrangement with equal porosity and diameter leads to a large drag and flow resistance.

Dao, T.; Stive, M.J.F.; Hofland, B., and Mai, T., 2018. Wave damping due to wooden fences along mangrove coasts. In the Mekong Delta, as in many other mangrove settings, wooden fences are considered beneficial coastal structures to provide sheltering for mangrove replantation efforts by reducing waves and currents and promoting sedimentation. One of the most quantitative previous studies on fence-induced wave reduction offered a first understanding of relevant process parameters. The present application of the advanced numerical time-domain wave model SWASH increases this understanding substantially and explains previously unexplained phenomena that were encountered in this earlier study. The findings reveal that wave damping increases with increasing fence thickness and with increasing density of the woody material in the fences. It further shows that the transmitted wave height (represented by the transmission coefficient) is inversely proportional to the Ursell number, implying that nonlinear waves are damped more effectively.