Numerical modelling of flow-vegetation interactions in rivers and coastal environments: recent trends and future research directions

<p dir="ltr">Vegetation is a common occurrence within natural rivers and coastal systems. It can have a profound effect on flow and sediment dynamics which means it may be utilised as a nature-based solution or may require management to prevent adverse effects. Understanding the complex interaction between flow and vegetation is essential to effective management. This two-way interaction is a function of both the flow and vegetation properties. There are a broad range of methods that have been used to represent flow-vegetation interactions within numerical models, ranging from the rigid cylinder approximation to flexible and complex morphologies. Here, I review recent methods employed to represent flow-vegetation interactions and identify key future research directions. In particular, this chapter focuses on the role of vegetation characteristics including morphology and biomechanics on determining flow and sediment dynamics. I conclude that there is a need to both improve our understanding of the impact of such vegetation characteristics, and improve the representation of these impacts, within reach-scale models used for river and coastal management.</p>