Hydrodynamic Interactions of Turbulent Jets with Surface Waves or Rigid Vegetation: A Review

This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of recent theoretical and experimental advances on turbulent plane jets interacting with surface waves or rigid vegetation. In wave-affected conditions, a unified mathematical framework based on velocity decomposition and the integral balances of momentum and energy reveals the fundamental scaling laws governing jet spreading and momentum exchange. The analysis demonstrates that wave-induced shear alters classical entrainment mechanisms, leading to modified power-law relationships for jet width and centerline velocity, consistent with laboratory and numerical evidence. In obstructed environments, such as canopies of rigid or flexible vegetation, distributed drag induces a transition from entrainment to detrainment. The resulting momentum loss is captured analytically by incorporating drag-induced dissipation into the Reynolds-averaged momentum equations, yielding exponential decay of jet momentum and reduced mixing efficiency. Together, these models elucidate how environmental forcing—dynamic (waves) and structural (vegetation)—controls the evolution of turbulent jets in natural and engineered aquatic systems. The review highlights key scaling relationships, theoretical developments, and experimental findings, offering a coherent basis for future studies on mixing, dispersion, and transport in complex coastal and vegetated flows.