Estimates of flow resistance and eddy viscosity coefficients for 2D modelling on vegetated floodplains

The problem of quantifying the effects of flexible plants on flow resistance and eddy viscosity by vegetated floodplains is first addressed with a one‐dimensional (1D) approximation based upon the so‐called lateral distribution method. The estimates so obtained are then tested with two‐dimensional (2D) numerical simulations based on the full shallow water equations through the use of the computational code Telemac‐2D. Data obtained on a physical model of the Besòs River (Spain), whose floodplains were covered with plastic ornamental plants to mimic the effect of flexible vegetation, is used for the validation of the numerical results. Additionally, the values of flow resistance estimated numerically with the 1D and 2D simulations are compared with values obtained in a rectangular flume under flow conditions (slope, water depth and artificial lining) similar to those used on the reduced model. It is then established that as more physical mechanisms are included in the mathematical model used to study the problem, the ratio between the floodplain and the main channel flow resistance coefficient increases. The approach demonstrates that whenever enough flow data is available, the lateral distribution method delivers values of flow resistance and eddy viscosity which are highly consistent with 2D numerical modelling. This finding could mean considerable savings in the burdensome task of specifying flow resistance and turbulence dissipation values for 2D modelling of large compound channel systems. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical study on the effects of floodplain vegetation on river planform style

The effects of floodplain vegetation on river planform have been investigated for a medium‐sized river using a 2D morphodynamic model with submodels for flow resistance and plant colonization. The flow resistance was divided into a resistance exerted by the soil and a resistance exerted by the plants. In this way it was possible to reproduce both the decrease in bed shear stress, reducing the sediment transport capacity of the flow within the plants, and the increase in hydraulic resistance, reducing the flow velocities. Colonization by plants was obtained by instantaneously assigning vegetation to the areas that became dry at low water stages. This colonization presents a step forward in the modelling of bank accretion. Bank erosion was related to bed degradation at adjacent wet cells. Bank advance and retreat were reproduced as drying and wetting of the computational cells at the channel margins. The model was applied to a hypothetical case with the same characteristics as the Allier River (France). The river was allowed to develop its own geometry starting from a straight, uniform, channel. Different vegetation densities produced different planforms. With bare floodplains, the river always developed a braided planform, even if the discharge was constant and below bankfull. With the highest vegetation density (grass) the flow concentrated in a single channel and formed incipient meanders. Lower vegetation density (pioneer vegetation) led to a transitional planform, with a low degree of braiding and distinguishable incipient meanders. The results comply with flume experiments and field observations reported in the literature.     

Assessment of vegetation effects on hydraulics and of feedbacks on plant survival and zonation in ephemeral channels

The interaction of vegetation and flow in channels is important for understanding the influences of forces in channels and effects on erosion, sediment flux and deposition; it has implications for channel habitats, channel instability and restoration schemes. Methods are needed for calculating forces on plants and data are required on thresholds for plant destruction and survival. A simple method of calculating the effect of hydraulics on vegetation and its zonation within ephemeral channels is described. Detailed cross section surveys of channel morphology, vegetation and estimates of Manning's n are input into the software program WinXSPRO to calculate the hydraulics of flows across the channel for a given event or flow level, incorporating subdivision into zones of differing morphology and vegetation across the section. This was applied to a number of cross sections on ephemeral channels in SE Spain and typical roughness values for Mediterranean vegetation types in channels were assessed. The method is demonstrated with reference to two well‐documented floods in SE Spain, in September 1997 on the Torrealvilla and in October 2003 along the Salada. These flows led to the mortality of herbs, reed and smaller shrub species. Some damage to larger shrubs and trees occurred, but trees such as Tamarisk (Tamarix canariensis) were shown to withstand high forces. Some grasses were highly resistant to removal and induced sedimentation. Significant erosion was limited to areas with little vegetation covering the channel floor. Further quantification of resistance of vegetation to flows and upper threshold values for removal is continuing by relating calculated hydraulic conditions using the methods outlined to measurements of vegetation responses in events at monitoring sites. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A full-scale study of Darcy-Weisbach friction factor for channels vegetated by riparian species

In this article, an open channel flow resistance equation, deduced applying dimensional analysis and incomplete self-similarity condition for the flow velocity distribution, was tested using measurements carried out in a full-scale channel equipped with three types of riparian plants (Salix alba L., Salix caprea L. and Alnus glutinosa L.). In the experimental channel, having banks lined with boulders, the vegetation branches were anchored in a concrete bottom. For each species, the measurements were carried out with plants having different amounts of leaves, different plant density and plant area index. The relationship between the scale factor Γ of the velocity profile and the Froude number was separately calibrated by measurements carried out without and with vegetation. The component of Darcy-Weisbach friction factor corresponding to the riparian vegetation f_v was calculated as the difference between the measured friction factor value (channel grain roughness + vegetation) and that calculated for the channel without vegetation in the same hydraulic conditions. Using these f_v values, the relationship between the scale factor Γ and the Froude number was calibrated. In this last relationship, a scaling coefficient a varying with the investigated vegetation type was introduced. This coefficient, as expected, gives the highest friction factor values for vegetation having branches with leaves. The theoretical flow resistance law, coupled with the relationship for estimating the Γ function having a scaling coefficient different for each investigated vegetation type, allowed an accurate estimate of the Darcy-Weisbach friction factor (errors less than or equal to 20% for 82.6% of the investigated cases). Finally, for the investigated vegetation species that are characterized by a condition with few leaves or leafless, the scaling coefficient a resulted strongly related to the bending stiffness. This analysis demonstrated that the highest Darcy-Weisbach friction factors correspond to vegetation species characterized by the highest values of bending stiffness. The friction factor values calculated for this last condition are characterized by errors that were less than or equal to ±20% for 90.6% of cases.     

Studies on emergent flow over vegetative channel bed with downward seepage

Experimental observations in a tilting flume having a bed covered with rice plants (Oryza sativa) are used to analyse the flow characteristics of flexible emergent vegetation with downward seepage. The flow velocity for no-seepage and with seepage is reduced by, on average, 52% and 33%, respectively, as the flow reaches the downstream end with vegetation. Higher Reynolds stress occurs at the start of the vegetation zone; hence, bed material transport occurs in this region. The results indicate that the bed is no longer the primary source of turbulence generation in vegetated flow; rather it is dominated by turbulence generated by the vegetation stems. The local effect of the presence of vegetation causes variations in the hydrodynamic characteristics along the vegetated portion of the channel, which leads to erosion and deposition in the vegetation zone. The experiments show that vegetation can provide considerable stability to channels by reducing channel erosion even with downward seepage.     

Effects of vegetation on channel morphodynamics: results and insights from laboratory experiments

A series of laboratory experiments demonstrates that riparian vegetation can cause a braided channel to self‐organize to, and maintain, a dynamic, single‐thread channel. The initial condition for the experiments was steady‐state braiding in non‐cohesive sand under uniform discharge. From here, an experiment consisted of repeated cycles alternating a short duration high flow with a long duration low flow, and uniform dispersal of alfalfa seeds over the bed at the end of each high flow. Plants established on freshly deposited bars and areas of braidplain that were unoccupied during low flow. The presence of the plants had the effect of progressively focusing the high flow so that a single dominant channel developed. The single‐thread channel self‐adjusted to carry the high flow. Vegetation also slowed the rate of bank erosion. Matching of deposition along the point bar with erosion along the outer bend enabled the channel to develop sinuosity and migrate laterally while suppressing channel splitting and the creation of new channel width. The experimental channels spontaneously reproduced many of the mechanisms by which natural meandering channels migrate and maintain a single dominant channel, in particular bend growth and channel cutoff. In contrast with the braided system, where channel switching is a nearly continuous process, vegetation maintained a coherent channel until wholesale diversion of flow via cutoff and/or avulsion occurred, by which point the previous channel tended to be highly unfavorable for flow. Thus vegetation discouraged the coexistence of multiple channels. Varying discharge was key to allowing expression of feedbacks between the plants and the flow and promoting the transition from braiding to a single‐thread channel that was then dynamically maintained. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of wastewater discharge on the channel morphology of ephemeral streams

The impact of wastewater flow on the channel bed morphology was evaluated in four ephemeral streams in Israel and the Palestinian Territories: Nahal Og, Nahal Kidron, Nahal Qeult and Nahal Hebron. Channel changes before, during and after the halting of wastewater flow were monitored. The wastewater flow causes a shift from a dry ephemeral channel with intermittent floods to a continuous flow pattern similar to that of humid areas. Within a few months, nutrient‐rich wastewater flow leads to rapid development of vegetation along channel and bars. The colonization of part of the active channel by vegetation increases flow resistance as well as bank and bed stability, and limits sediment availability from bars and other sediment stores along the channels. In some cases the established vegetation covers the entire channel width and halts the transport of bed material along the channel. During low and medium size flood events, bars remain stable and the vegetation intact. Extreme events destroy the vegetation and activate the bars. The wastewater flow results in the development of new small bars, which are usually destroyed by flood flows. Due to the vegetation establishment, the active channel width decreases by up to 700 per cent. The deposition of fine sediment and organic material changed the sediment texture within the stable bar surface and the whole bed surface texture in Nahal Hebron. The recovery of Nahal Og after the halting of the wastewater flow was relatively fast; within two flood seasons the channel almost returned to pre‐wastewater characteristics. The results of the study could be used to indicate what would happen if wastewater flows were introduced along natural desert streams. Also, the results could be used to predict the consequences of vegetation removal as a result of human intervention within the active channel of humid streams. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of macrophyte spatial variability on channel resistance

Aquatic macrophytes can severely retard flow rates in the river channels that they occupy. Consequently, there is a need to improve our ability to model vegetation resistance, to aid flood prediction and allow for better-informed channel management. An empirical model is developed to calculate flow resistance (Manning’s resistance coefficient) of channels containing the submergent macrophyte Ranunculus (water-crowfoot). Blockage factors (the proportion of a cross-section blocked by vegetation) were determined for up to nine cross-sections at each of 35 river sites. These were used to create blockage-factor percentiles, which were regressed against vegetation resistance. An exponential best-fit relation involving the 69th blockage-factor percentile gave the best results. A parameter relating the length of the vegetated/solid boundary in contact with the open channel to the length of the conventionally-defined wetted perimeter improved the model fit by acting as a pseudo-measure of the turbulent-energy losses generated within the unvegetated stream by the macrophytes. The model was tested on three additional sites containing different macrophyte species and much higher vegetation blockages, and was found to work well.     

A two‐dimensional morphodynamic model of gravel‐bed river with floodplain vegetation

Artificially straight river channels tend to be unstable, and ultimately develop into river meanders through bank erosion and point‐bar deposition. In this paper account is taken of the effects of riparian and floodplain vegetation on bank strength, floodplain flow resistance, shear stress partitioning, and bedload transport. This is incorporated into an existing 2D hydrodynamic‐morphological model. By applying the new model to an initially straight and single‐threaded channel, the way that its planform and cross‐sectional geometry evolve for different hydraulic and floodplain vegetation conditions is demonstrated. The results show the formation and upstream migration of gravel bars, confluence scouring and the development of meandering and braiding channel patterns. In cases where the channel becomes unstable, the instability grows out of bar formation. The resulting braiding patterns are similar to analytical results. The formation of a transition configuration requires a strong influence from vegetation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

From the blade scale to the reach scale: A characterization of aquatic vegetative drag

Previous studies have considered vegetative drag at different scales, the blade scale, the patch scale, and the reach scale, but few studies have considered the connection between these scales. In this paper, we develop simple, physically-based models that connect processes affecting the drag generated by aquatic vegetation at the blade and patch scale to the hydraulic resistance produced by vegetation at the reach scale. For fully developed flows through submerged patches of vegetation, velocities can be successfully predicted using a two-layer model in which momentum transfer from the unobstructed flow to the vegetation patch is characterized using a constant friction factor. To account for vegetation flexibility in this two-layer model, we develop an iterative procedure that calculates the reduction in plant height and drag for a given flow speed based on the plant material properties, and feeds this information back into the momentum balance. This simple iteration accurately predicts vegetation heights and velocities for submerged flexible vegetation. Finally, we consider the effect of varying vegetation distribution patterns by extending the two-layer model to account for more complex channel and patch geometries. The total hydraulic resistance produced by vegetation depends primarily on the blockage factor, i.e. the fraction of the channel cross-section blocked by vegetation. For a constant blockage factor, the specific distribution of vegetation can also play a role, with a large number of small patches generating more resistance than a single large patch. By considering models with different levels of complexity, we offer suggestions for what field measurements are needed to advance the prediction of channel resistance.     

Patch‐scale representation of vegetation within hydraulic models

Submerged aquatic vegetation affects flow, sediment and ecological processes within rivers. Quantifying these effects is key to effective river management. Despite a wealth of research into vegetated flows, the detailed flow characteristics around real plants in natural channels are still poorly understood. Here we present a new methodology for representing vegetation patches within computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of vegetated channels. Vegetation is represented using a Mass Flux Scaling Algorithm (MFSA) and drag term within the Reynolds‐averaged Navier–Stokes Equations, which account for the mass and momentum effects of the vegetation, respectively. The model is applied using three different grid resolutions (0.2, 0.1 and 0.05 m) using time‐averaged solution methods and compared to field data. The results show that the model reproduces the complex spatial flow heterogeneity within the channel and that increasing the resolution leads to enhanced model accuracy. Future applications of the model to the prediction of channel roughness, sedimentation and key eco‐hydraulic variables are presented, likely to be valuable for informing effective river management. © 2016 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

3D Numerical modelling of flow divisions at open channel junctions with or without vegetation

The flow division at an open channel junction is affected by the inflow discharge and the downstream water depths of the junction. The growth of vegetation in a channel system is environmental friendly, but its effect on the flow in an open channel junction can be significant. In this work a 3D RANS (Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes equation) model has been implemented to investigate the flow phenomena in channel junctions with or without vegetation. The model is first validated by two cases: flow in an open channel T-junction without vegetation, and flow in a single open channel with vegetation. The model is then applied to simulate flow in an open channel T-junction with varying width ratio and vegetation density of the branch channel. The results quantitatively predict the trend of increasing flow in the branch channel with the increase in branch channel width and/or the decrease in vegetation density. The overall energy loss coefficient of the system, however, decreases with the amount of flow in the branch channel.     

Biomorphodynamic modelling of inner bank advance in migrating meander bends

We propose a bio-morphodynamic model at bend cross-sectional scale for the lateral migration of river meander bends, where the two banks can migrate separately as a result of the mutual interaction between river flow, sediments and riparian vegetation, particularly at the interface between the permanently wet channel and the advancing floodplain. The model combines a non-linear analytical model for the morphodynamic evolution of the channel bed, a quasi-1D model to account for flow unsteadiness, and an ecological model describing riparian vegetation dynamics. Simplified closures are included to estimate the feedbacks among vegetation, hydrodynamics and sediment transport, which affect the morphology of the river-floodplain system. Model tests reveal the fundamental role of riparian plants in generating bio-morphological patterns at the advancing floodplain margin. Importantly, they provide insight into the biophysical controls of the ‘bar push’ mechanism and into its role in the lateral migration of meander bends and in the temporal variations of the active channel width.     

Plants as river system engineers

Plants growing within river corridors both affect and respond to fluvial processes. Their above‐ground biomass modifies the flow field and retains sediment, whereas their below‐ground biomass affects the hydraulic and mechanical properties of the substrate and consequently the moisture regime and erosion susceptibility of the land surface. This paper reviews research that dates back to the 1950s on the geomorphological influence of vegetation within fluvial systems. During the late twentieth century this research was largely pursued through field observations, but during the early years of the twenty‐first century, complementary field, flume and theoretical/modelling investigations have contributed to major advances in understanding the influence of plants on fluvial systems. Flume experiments have demonstrated the fundamental role of vegetation in determining river planform, particularly transitions from multi‐ to single‐thread forms, and have provided insights into flow–vegetation–sediment feedbacks and landform building, including processes such as channel blockage and avulsion. At the same time, modellers have incorporated factors such as moisture‐dependent plant growth, canopy and root architecture and their influence on flow resistance and sediment/bank reinforcement into morphodynamic models. Meanwhile, field investigations have revealed that vegetation has a far more important and complex influence on fluvial systems than previously realized. It is now apparent that the influence of plants on river systems is significant across space scales from individual plants to entire forested river corridors. Small plant‐scale phenomena structure patch‐scale geomorphological forms and processes, and interactions between patches are almost certainly crucial to larger‐scale and longer‐term geomorphological phenomena. The influence of plants also varies continuously through time as above‐ and below‐ground biomass change within the annual growth cycle, over longer‐term growth trajectories, and in response to external drivers of change such as climatic, hydrological and fluvial fluctuations and extremes. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Delta size and plant patchiness as controls on channel network organization in experimental deltas

Understanding the feedbacks between water, sediment, and vegetation in deltas is an important part of understanding deltas as ecomorphodynamic systems. We conducted a set of laboratory experiments using alfalfa (Medicago sativa) as a proxy for delta vegetation to investigate: (1) the effects of plants on delta growth and channel network formation; and (2) the timescales controlling delta evolution in the presence of plants. Experiments were conducted with fluctuating discharge (i.e. flood and base flow periods) and variable seeding densities. We found that when deltas were small, channels had no memory across flood cycles, as floods could completely fill the incised channel network. When deltas were large, the larger channel volume could remain underfilled to keep channel memory. Plant patches also helped to increase the number of channels and make a more distributive network. Patchiness increased over time to continually aid in bifurcation, but as vegetation cover and patch sizes increased, patches began to merge. Larger patches blocked the flow to enhance topset deposition and channel filling, even for the case of large deltas with a high channel volume. We conclude that both plant patchiness and delta size affect the development of the channel network, and we hypothesize that their influences are manifested through two competing timescales. The first timescale, T_v, defines the time when the delta is large enough for channels to have memory (i.e. remain underfilled), and the second, T_p, defines the time when vegetation patches merge, amplifying deposition and blocking channels. When run time is between these two timescales, the delta can develop a persistent distributary network of channels aided by bifurcation around plant patches, but once T_p is reached, the channel network can again be destroyed by vegetation. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The development of montane arroyos and gullies

Field investigations in the Front Range of Colorado, U.S.A., confirm that the spatial distribution of vegetation in watersheds exerts strong control on the entrenchment of streams in the montane zone. When tractive force in channels exceeds threshold values of resistance on the valley floors, cutting of arroyos begins, producing forms that change allometrically. An algorithm based on the Cooke Method for discharge, the Manning Equation for depth of flow, and the DuBoys Equation for tractive force can be used to evaluate force for observed and experimental conditions. In small (<5 km²) basins in the Front Range of Colorado, forces for the 10-year discharge commonly range from 1 to 5 dynes, but the resistance offered by valley floors is usually unable to withstand forces from channel flows greater than 2 dynes. Biomass of vegetation on the valley floor exerts significant control on the trenching process, with threshold values of biomass commonly between 1.5 and 9 kg/m², the range of semi-arid vegetation cover. Thresholds exist in the montane erosion system for gradient, mean biomass in the basin, biomass on the valley floor, channel roughness, and channel width. Each threshold value, however, depends on the interrelationships among other variables in the system. Manipulation of the vegetation cover is the primary human impact on the montane channels, and management of the distribution of vegetation offers the most efficient method of maintaining the stability of channels.     

A combined field,laboratory and numerical study of the forces applied to,and the potential for removal of,bar top vegetation in a braided river

Vegetation can have an important role in controlling channel planform, through its effects on channel roughness, and root‐reinforcement of bank and bar materials. Along the Platte River in central Nebraska, USA, The Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (PRRIP) has been tasked with managing the planform of the river to benefit endangered species. To investigate the potential use of planned short duration high flow (SDHF) events to manage bar vegetation, this study combined several approaches to determine whether flows of up to 227 m³s^?1 through the central Platte River, could remove cottonwood, Phragmites and reed canarygrass stands of various ages and densities from in‐channel bars. First, fieldwork was carried out to measure the uprooting resistance, and resistance to bending for each species. Second, a set of flume experiments was carried out to measure the forces exerted on the three species of interest under different flow conditions. Finally, a numerical study comparing drag forces (driving) measured in the flume study, with uprooting forces (resisting) measured in the field, was carried out for each species to determine the likelihood of plant removal by SDHF events. Results showed that plants with more than a year of root growth, likely cannot be removed through drag and local scour alone, even at the 100‐year recurrence interval discharge. At most, a few cottonwood seedlings could be removed from bars through drag, scour and undercutting, where rooting depths are still small. The results presented here help us further understand the positive feedbacks that lead to the creation of permanent, vegetated bars rather than mobile braided channels. As such, the findings could help inform management decisions for other braided rivers, and the combined field, flume and modeling techniques used in this study could be applied to other fluvial systems where vegetation and planform dynamics are of interest. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Inbank and overbank velocity conditions in an arid zone anastomosing river

Relative to those at sub‐bankfull flow, hydraulic conditions at overbank flow, whether in the channel or on the floodplain, are poorly understood. Here, velocity conditions are analysed over an unusually wide range of flows in the arid zone river of Cooper Creek with its complex system of anastomosing channels and large fluctuations in floodplain width. At‐a‐station hydraulic geometry relationships reveal sharp discontinuities in velocity at the inbank–overbank transition, the nature of the discontinuity varying with the degree of flow confinement and the level of channel–floodplain interaction. However, despite inter‐sectional differences, velocities remain modest throughout the flow range in this low‐gradient river, and the large increases in at‐a‐station discharge are principally accommodated by changes in cross‐sectional area. Velocity distribution plots suggest that within‐channel conditions during overbank flow are characterized by a central band of high velocity which penetrates far toward the bed, helping to maintain already deep cross‐sections. Floodplain resistance along Cooper Creek is concentrated at channel bank tops where vegetation density is highest, and the subsequent flow retardation is transmitted across the surface of the channels over distances as large as 50–70 m. The rough floodplain surface affects flood wave transmission, producing significant decreases in wave speeds downstream. The character of the wave‐speed–discharge relationship also changes longitudinally, from log–linear in the upper reaches to nonlinear where the floodplain broadens appreciably. The nonlinear form is similar in several respects to relationships proposed for more humid rivers, with flood wave speed reaching an intermediate maximum at about four‐fifths bankfull discharge before decreasing to a minimum at approximately Q_2·33. It does not regain the value at the intermediate maximum until the 10 year flood, by which time floodplain depths have become relatively large and broad floodways more active. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A 3-D phase-averaged model for shallow-water flow with waves in vegetated water

A 3-D shallow-water flow model has been developed to simulate the flow in coastal vegetated waters with short waves. The model adopts the 3-D phase-averaged shallow-water flow equations with radiation stresses induced by short waves. It solves the governing equations using an implicit finite volume method based on quadtree rectangular mesh in the horizontal plane and stretching mesh in the vertical direction. The flow model is coupled with a spectral wave deformation model called CMS-Wave. The wave model solves the spectral wave-action balance equation and provides wave characteristics to the flow model. The model considers the effects of vegetation on currents and waves by including the drag and inertia forces of vegetation in the momentum equations and the wave energy loss due to vegetation resistance in the wave-action balance equation. The model has been tested using several sets of laboratory experiments, including steady flows in a straight channel with submerged vegetation and in a compound channel with vegetated floodplain and random waves through a vegetated channel and on a vegetated beach slope. The calculated water levels, current velocities, and wave heights are in general good agreement with the measured data.     

Bio‐geomorphic effects on tidal channel evolution: impact of vegetation establishment and tidal prism change

The long‐term (10–100 years) evolution of tidal channels is generally considered to interact with the bio‐geomorphic evolution of the surrounding intertidal platform. Here we studied how the geometric properties of tidal channels (channel drainage density and channel width) change as (1) vegetation establishes on an initially bare intertidal platform and (2) sediment accretion on the intertidal platform leads to a reduction in the tidal prism (i.e. water volume that during a tidal cycle floods to and drains back from the intertidal platform). Based on a time series of aerial photographs and digital elevation models, we derived the channel geometric properties at different time steps during the evolution from an initially low‐elevated bare tidal flat towards a high‐elevated vegetated marsh. We found that vegetation establishment causes a marked increase in channel drainage density. This is explained as the friction exerted by patches of pioneer vegetation concentrates the flow in between the vegetation patches and promotes there the erosion of channels. Once vegetation has established, continued sediment accretion and tidal prism reduction do not result in significant further changes in channel drainage density and in channel widths. We hypothesize that this is explained by a partitioning of the tidal flow between concentrated channel flow, as long as the vegetation is not submerged, and more homogeneous sheet flow as the vegetation is deeply submerged. Hence, a reduction of the tidal prism due to sediment accretion on the intertidal platform, reduces especially the volume of sheet flow (which does not affect channel geometry), while the concentrated channel flow (i.e. the landscape forming volume of water) is not much affected by the tidal prism reduction. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.