Erratum to: Recent channel changes of the Jiangsu reach of the Yangtze river: an investigation from multi-temporal digital elevation models

Abstract

The Yangtze River is the longest river in China. This river has a drainage area of 1.8 × 10 km, flowing 6300 km from the glaciers in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau eastward to the East China Sea. Each year, the Yangtze River supplies approximately 9 × 10 m of fresh water and 4.7 × 10 t of sediments to its estuary and the East China Sea (Chai et al., 2006). In addition, the major channel of the Yangtze River is known as the BGolden River Channel^ because it is one of the largest river transportation lines in China. The channel in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River is nevertheless strongly affected by sediment erosion and deposition (Yang et al., 2002, 2007; Liu et al., 2007; Xu and Milliman, 2009). Additionally, flood disasters appear to have occurred more frequently in the last century (Zong and Chen, 2000; Yin and Li, 2001; Zhang et al., 2006). The river channel evolution of the Yangtze River has significant impacts on flood discharge, shipping and the sustainable development of its drainage basin; the importance of these effects has given rise to the construction of a group of water conservation projects in the drainage basin during recent decades. To utilize and exploit the Yangtze River sustainably, it is crucial to understand the evolution of channel erosion and deposition, particularly in the middle and lower reaches, considering their dense populations and strong economic activities. As a typical large river, the evolution of the Yangtze River, such as persistent erosion and siltation, is recorded in the details of its channel morphology (Chen et al., 2001). The variation in water and solids in the main channel of the Yangtze River is an important focus for understanding the channel morphology of the river, which calls for a detailed analysis of the changes along the riverbed of the Yangtze River (Wang et al., 2009). The lower reach of the Yangtze River comprises alluvial plains where the main channel meanders into wide curves. This reach may also be influenced by the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, which potentially increased erosion and brought dynamic sedimentation-erosion changes to the lower reach of the Yangtze River (Dai et al., 2005). Additionally, sediment transport of the Yangtze River may have various consequences on the riverbed morphology and changes in the water level. The increase in bank sedimentation in the Yangtze Delta area is often associated with the decrease in transported river solids (Wang et al., 2009), while the existing sediments are possibly becoming the main erosion sources (Li et al., 2006). In addition, activities such as deforestation and overgrazing have caused significant degradation of the drainage basins of the Yangtze River, and this situation has been aggravated in recent decades Dudgeon (1992); Yan and Qian, 2004; Liu and Diamond, 2005; Long et al., 2006). This degradation often increases the suspended sediment load and subsequently comes with extensive flooding. Furthermore, the degradation may also affect land-water interactions and the * Ping Lu luping@tongji.edu.cn