Seagrass deformation affects fluid instability and tracer exchange in canopy flow

TL;DR

This paper develops a multiphase model to study how seagrass deformation influences fluid instability and tracer exchange in canopy flow, revealing the dynamics of vortex formation and oscillation patterns.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel multiphase model capturing the coupled fluid-vegetation dynamics and clarifies the mechanisms behind seagrass waving and flow instability.

Findings

Flow impedance causes shear layer instability and vortex formation.

Seagrass deformation oscillates with vortex passage, affecting drag.

Buoyancy and Reynolds number influence wave amplitude and vortex strength.

Abstract

Monami is the synchronous waving of a submerged seagrass bed in response to unidirectional fluid flow. Here we develop a multiphase model for the dynamical instabilities and flow-driven collective motions of buoyant, deformable seagrass. We show that the impedance to flow due to the seagrass results in an unstable velocity shear layer at the canopy interface, leading to a periodic array of vortices that propagate downstream. Each passing vortex locally weakens the along-stream velocity at the canopy top, reducing the drag and allowing the deformed grass to straighten up just beneath it. This causes the grass to oscillate periodically. Crucially, the maximal grass deflection is out of phase with the vortices. A phase diagram for the onset of instability shows its dependence on the fluid Reynolds number and an effective buoyancy parameter. Less buoyant grass is more easily deformed by the flow and forms a weaker shear layer, with smaller vortices and less material exchange across the canopy top. While higher Reynolds number leads to stronger vortices and larger waving amplitudes of the seagrass, waving is maximized at intermediate grass buoyancy. All together, our theory and computations correct some misconceptions in interpretation of the mechanism and provide a robust explanation consistent with a number of experimental observations.