Drag forces on aquatic plants in nonlinear random waves plus current

Plant-flow interactions are characterised by an assemblage of processes acting at different temporal and spatial scales. In order to mathematically characterise these interactions, such processes have to be parameterised given some simplifications. Typically, drag coefficients are derived from experiments to characterise the plant reconfiguration and wave energy dissipation processes. By reviewing the different plant drag coefficients CD valid in oscillatory flows, this study first highlights the lack of normalisation of the different existing CD formulations and identifies possibilities for a standardisation of the formulations for oscillatory and steady flows. Then, by taking into account the wave crest height distribution of a sea state condition, this study further develops a stochastic method to compute the expected wave induced forces on a plant in linear/nonlinear random waves plus current based on two different CD formulations for waves alone and waves plus current. This method improves the characterisation of the stochastic plant-flow interactions by allowing the calculation of expected values under different random wave plus currents conditions. Results are compared to a classic deterministic approach and some differences are identified, calling for further investigations against experimental datasets. Based on the appropriate CD formulations, this study finally revealed that wave nonlinearities have a significant effect on expected wave forces for a higher wave activity, and that in presence of an increasing current, the effect of wave nonlinearities decreases while the expected wave forces increase.