Hydrodynamic roughness of floodplain vegetation : Airborne parameterization and field validation

Abstract

The parameterization of hydrodynamic roughness of floodplains is a key component in the assessment of the safety levels of the fluvial area. Roughness describes the amount of friction that is exerted on the water by the vegetation and the ground surface. Menno Straatsma studied new ways to quantify the vegetation structure that determines the roughness. He used airborne laser scanning combined with spectral data to parameterize the roughness spatially, innovated field techniques to measure vegetation structure and provided a new tool to verify roughness models in the field. This study provides fundamental building stones for integral river management.