Interaction of seagrass and hydrodynamics

This conceptual diagram visualises the processes acting when waves and flow (e.g. tidal currents) travel across a submerged flexible vegetation patch (e.g. seagrass). The processes can be grouped into (i) hydrodynamic processes (wave height reduction, change of velocity profile, turbulence generation), (ii) plant morphology processes (bending and streamlining of plants, swaying motion of plants, drag acting on plants) and (iii) biological processes (nutrient and gas exchange). Symbol attribution: Integration and Application Network (ian.umces.edu/media-library).