Modelling hydrodynamics in Eelgrass (Zostera Marina)

In many areas around the world, there is a large interest in the protection and restoration of aquatic vegetation, like eelgrass (Zostera marina), but little is known about the interaction of such vegetation with its environment. To improve this knowledge, a model has been developed that simulates this interaction between highly flexible vegetation and hydrodynamics. The model consists of two parts: a 1DV k-? turbulence model that simulates the flow, and a model that simulates the movement of the vegetation, based on a Langrangian force balance. This model has been validated against our own measurements on positions and forces of flexible plastic strips, as well as hydrodynamic measurements from literature. It performs well in these situations, but the validation data is limited. Nevertheless, it can be considered to be a very useful and generic tool in studying flow processes in fields of flexible vegetation