Modification of Surf Zone Turbulence and the Undertow by a Submerged Canopy

As sea level rise and stronger storm events threaten our coastlines, coastal vegetation has come under consideration as a potentially resilient, financially viable tool to mitigate flooding and erosion. However, the actual role of this “green infrastructure” in the near-shore region is not fully understood. In order to evaluate the role of vegetation in coastal protection, a series of experiments were conducted in a simulated laboratory surf zone. We examine the impact of canopy location and submergence on the undertow profile, turbulent kinetic energy, and Reynolds stress for varying Reynolds number and Keulegan-Carpenter number, and compare these results to theoretical formulations that utilize a depth-averaged undertow and highly simplified eddy viscosity.