How does 'ground effect' typically affect induced flow?

Ground effect reduces induced flow. Ground effect is the increased efficiency of a rotor system when operating close to the ground. When a helicopter is hovering near the ground, the ground interferes with the downward flow of air (induced flow) from the rotor system. The ground restricts the downward movement of air and redirects it outwards, reducing the amount of induced flow passing through the rotor disk. The reduction in induced flow increases the effective angle of attack of the rotor blades, resulting in increased lift for a given blade pitch angle. This means the helicopter requires less power to hover within ground effect compared to hovering out of ground effect. In essence, ground effect makes the rotor system more efficient by reducing the energy lost to induced flow.