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Concept
Bank erosion
Summary
Bank erosion is the wearing away of the banks of a stream or river. This is distinguished from erosion of the bed of the watercourse, which is referred to as scour.
The roots of trees growing by a stream are undercut by such erosion. As the roots bind the soil tightly, they form abutments which jut out over the water. These have a significant effect upon the rate and progress of the erosion.
There are a variety of methods for measuring river bank erosion rates. A direct method is to insert metal rods (called "erosion pins") into the bank and marking the position of the bank surface along the rods at different times. This simple measurement technique can be enhanced with the use of a data logger attached to a rod of photoreceptors; the logger records the voltage, which is an indication of how much of the rod is exposed. Another common method is to survey a stream cross section repeatedly over time. This measures the erosion rate in addition to changes in the geometry of stream banks. Aerial and satellite imagery can be used to measure rates of bank erosion and river channel migration at larger spatial scales by comparing bank locations at various times. Finally, there are a variety of less common methods like using sedimentology or tree age to calculate erosion rates by approximating historic locations of the river channel.
There are two primary mechanisms of stream bank erosion: fluvial erosion and mass failure. Fluvial erosion is the direct removal of soil particles by flowing water. The rate of fluvial erosion is determined both by the force of the flowing water (e.g. faster flow equals more force) and the resistance of the bank material to erosion (e.g. clay is generally more resistant to erosion than sand). Mass failure occurs when the weight of a stream bank is greater than the strength of the soil, causing the bank to collapse. This process is dependent upon a number of factors including the internal strength of the soil (e.g. clay vs. sand), soil-water content, and vegetation.
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Meander
A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank (cut bank or river cliff) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex bank which is typically a point bar. The result of this coupled erosion and sedimentation is the formation of a sinuous course as the channel migrates back and forth across the axis of a floodplain. The zone within which a meandering stream periodically shifts its channel is known as a meander belt.