Abstract: A physicalmodel experiment was carried out to investigate energy attenuation of regular and irregular waves including differentwave heights,wave periods,water depths,and vegetation heights and densities over the rigid vegetation waters before a sloping beach to understand the dissipation effect of wetland plants on near shore waves.The results showed that thewave heightwas found to be gradually decayed significantly in the vegetation ar-ea,with wave attenuation rate of 29.8%in regular wave and 31.4%in irregular wave.The attenuation rate was 41.3%,37.3%,and 31.3%for irregularwave and 35%,30.8%and 26.1%for regular wave atwave height of 8,6,and 4 cm under the same plant density and wave period parameters in 40 cm height rigid plants,respective-ly.Themore significant effect of wave attenuation was observed as the wave height of incidentwave was increased for both regular wave and irregular wave.Thewave height attenuation rate was 32.3%and 21.0%at rigid vegeta-tion height of40 cm and 20 cm(irregularwave,T=1.2 s,H1=6 cm,h=30 cm),respectively,the taller vegeta-tion height leading to the larger wave attenuation as well.Under the same parameters,the wave attenuation rates were 14.6%and 9.9%atwater depth of 30 cm and 40 cm(H1=40 cm,T=1.0 s,VH=20 cm),respectively. There was higher wave attenuation atwater depth of 30 cm than that atwater depth of40 cm,indicating thatwave energy attenuation was declined with the increase in water depth.The findings provide reference with research on relationship between rigid vegetation and wave in a wetland.
2017, Vol. 32 
