Author(s): Xiaofeng Zhang; Vivien P. Chua; Hin Fatt Cheong
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Prop roots; Photogrammetry; Stiffness; Flume experiments; Flow resistance
Abstract: The circulation of water in riverine mangrove swamps is expected to be influenced by mangrove roots, which in turn affect the nutrients, pollutants and sediments transport in these systems. Geometric properties of mangrove prop roots (Rhizophora sp. ) in the field were studied through the use of photogrammetric methods and samples of such roots were harvested to determine their material and strength properties in the laboratory. The field studies were carried out in mangrove areas along some of the coastlines of Singapore where the Rhizophora genus are found. It was found that the prop roots under hydrodynamic loadings in a mangrove environment could be regarded as fairly rigid on account of a large Young’s Modulus value. Artificial prop root models were fabricated from downscaling of observation data in the field. Flume experiments were performed and measurements of mean flow velocity and Reynolds stress were made. A force balance analysis was performed in the nearly uniform flow region to estimate the resistance caused by the mangrove prop root models.
Year: 2013