Alluvial Banks Research Articles

The Role of Frost Processes in the Retreat of River Banks

The rate of bank retreat was measured using erosion pins on the alluvial banks of the rivers in the Podhale region (the boundary zone between Central and Outer Carpathians) during the hydrological year 2013/2014. During the winter half-year (November–April), the bank retreat was mainly caused by processes related to the freezing and thawing of the ground (swelling, creep, downfall). During the summer half-year (May–October), fluvial processes and mass movements such as lateral erosion, washing out, and sliding predominated. The share of fluvial processes in the total annual amount of bank retreat (71 cm on average) was 4 times greater than that of the frost phenomena. Erosion on bank surfaces by frost phenomena during the cold half-year was greatest (up to 38 cm) on the upper parts of banks composed of fine-grained alluvium, while fluvial erosion during the summer half-year (exceeding 80 cm) mostly affected the lower parts of the banks, composed of gravel. The precise calculation of the relative role of frost phenomena in the annual balance of bank erosion was precluded at some stations by the loss of erosion pins in the summer flood.

Storm-Induced Dynamics of Particulate Organic Carbon in Clear Creek, Iowa: An Intensively Managed Landscape Critical Zone Observatory Story

Rivers integrate and transport particulate organic carbon (POC) from multiple sources with varied diagenetic histories. A significant amount of POC is delivered to rivers during storm events, but the sources and fates of the mobilized material are often unclear. To gauge the relative contributions of variability of different input sources, this study uses a biomarker approach that broadly characterizes organic matter on the molecular level. Suspended sediment was collected during a storm in October 2015 at three nested sampling locations along Clear Creek in Iowa, U.S.A. Supplemented with bulk elemental and C-isotopic measurements, biomarker analyses were obtained to identify changes in the sources and the diagenetic state of the POC. Fatty acid-rich organic matter was attributed to the mobilization of algal mats in the stream channel at the early stage of the storm as precipitation initiated and water velocities began to increase. A significant contribution of lignin-rich material occurred at peak precipitation and elevated discharge signifying erosion from row crop field surfaces and bank soil sources. Tracers of oxidized lignin and soil organic matter suggested that this was a partially time-resolved mixture of fresh and degraded material derived. Storm-induced variations of biomarkers were observed at the three sampling stations located throughout the watershed. The mixing patterns became more complex as the storm pulse moved downstream due to the additive contributions of multiple tributaries and the hypothesized increasing relative importance of alluvial bank erosion. The increase is attributed to a systematic transition in basin geomorphology from a V-shape in the upper reach to a wider box-shaped valley in the lower reach. Even though standing crop biomarker concentration measurements revealed a diversity of sources over time, the complex mixture of POC associated with peak discharge dominated the flux of material downstream. This study highlights the complexity of storm-initiated C-transport and the need for high spaciotemporal resolution broad spectrum tracer studies in the future.

Riparian Ground Beetles (Coleoptera) on the Banks of Running and Standing Waters

Rivers and their floodplains offer a wide variety of habitats for invertebrates. River ecosystems are subject to high anthropic influence: as a result the channel morphology is changed, swamps are drained, floodplains are built up, and rivers are polluted. All this has radically changed the environment for the inhabitants of the floodplains, including riparian stenotopic species. Although riparian arthropods are oriented primarily to the production of hydro-ecosystems, the type of water body—lentic or lotic—has a determining effect in the structure of communities. Most riparian arthropods have evolutionarily adapted to riverbanks with significant areas of open alluvial banks. This paper considered the structure of assemblages of ground beetles associated with the riverbanks and the shores of floodplain lakes and their differences. The banks of rivers and the shores of floodplain lakes were considered separately due to the differences in the habitats associated with them. Our results showed that riverbanks, which experience significant pollution, were actively colonized by vegetation and were unsuitable for most riparian ground beetles. The shores of floodplain lakes, being an optional habitat for riparian arthropods, cannot serve as refugia. Thus, the transformation of floodplain landscapes and river pollution creates a problem for the biological diversity of floodplain ecosystems, since riparian stenotopic species of the riverbanks become rare and disappear.

Quantifying channel bank erosion of a small mountain river in Russian wet subtropics using erosion pins

Abstract. Channel bank erosion was monitored using erosion pin arrays in a small mountain stream located in the Tsanyk River basin near the Caucasian Black sea coast. The study area is characterized by high precipitation, low mountainous topography, and flysch bedrock. Erosion pins arrays were installed at six key sections each with different bank lithology and morphology. Bank lithology (bedrock or alluvial deposits), morphology (vertical or concave) and orientation towards the local flow direction were the dominant factors controlling the rate of bank retreat and/or collapse. In contrast to alluvial banks, bedrock slopes are predominantly affected by chemical weathering processes in a wet subtropical climate. Results on sediment mobilization and volume removed are presented for different bank types. Variability in channel bank recessional dynamics is discussed in the context of hydrometeorological data (2016–2018) and an extreme flood.

Phosphorus transformations in stream bank sediments in Iowa, USA, at varying redox potentials

PurposeStream bank erosion is one of the main sources of suspended sediments in stream water, and it often carries phosphorus with it. With a controlled laboratory study, we investigated the changes in different forms of P in stream bank sediments at varying redox potentials. We hypothesized that there could be increases in labile forms of solid-phase P under low redox conditions.Materials and methodsSediment samples representing four major stratigraphic units were collected from alluvial banks of Walnut Creek in Jasper County, Iowa: Camp Creek, Roberts Creek, and Gunder members of the Holocene-age De Forest Formation and pre-Illinoian till, a glacial deposit that is older than 500,000 years. We compared three treatments: no anaerobic incubation, anaerobic incubation, and anaerobic incubation with addition of glucose. After each treatment, soil P fractions were determined and classified as water-extractable P, labile P, slowly cycling P, stable P, and residual P. Labile P is extractable with 0.5 M NaHCO3, slowly cycling P is extractable with 0.1 M NaOH or 1 M HCl, stable P is extractable with concentrated HCl, and residual P is associated with acid-insoluble compounds in the soil.Results and discussionRedox potential of the equilibrated systems was significantly less when sediments were incubated anaerobically than when they were not incubated, especially when glucose was added to the anaerobic incubation. Variations in redox potential did not significantly affect the total P, organic or inorganic stable P, or residual P in the sediments. In contrast, we found that the amount of inorganic labile P tended to increase at the same time that slowly cycling P associated with Fe decreased.ConclusionsThe younger sediments, higher in the stratigraphic profile and with more organic matter, had greater labile P and slowly cycling P that was associated with Fe, reflecting a greater potential to contribute to elevated levels of P in the stream water if subjected to low redox potential in the stream environment. The forms of P in the four bank sediments were redistributed among the fractions by reducing conditions. There was an increase in the concentration of inorganic labile P, which coincided with a decrease in slowly cycling P associated with Fe, especially in the Holocene-age sediments. These sediments appear to have a greater potential to contribute to elevated levels of P in the stream water when they are subjected to low redox potential in the stream environment.

A Study on Variation in Channel Width and Braiding Intensity of the Brahmaputra River in Assam, India

The Brahmaputra River flows through Assam, India, for about 670 km along an alluvial valley as a wide braided river. The width of the river varies with time along its course. The braiding intensity of this river is estimated using the braiding index (BI) of Brice (1964), which also changes with space and time along the course of the river. Temporal changes of both width and BI have been studied using topographic maps of 1912–1928 and 1963–1975, and dry season satellite data of 1996, 2000, 2007 and 2009. The mean widths of the Brahmaputra River channel in Assam during 1912–1928, 1963–1975, 1996, 2000, 2007 and 2009 were 5949 m, 7455 m, 7505 m, 8008 m, 8308 m and 9012 m, respectively, confirming an overall increase in width with time. Both the width and variation of width are lowest in four short narrower segments of the river. Three of these segments represent hard points comprising gneissic rock, and one segment is on alluvium comprising cohesive clay. The increase in width is correlated to enormous sediment load produced by the great Assam earthquake of 1950 and large-scale deforestation in the Himalayas. The mean BIs for the Brahmaputra for 1963–1975, 1996, 2000, 2007 and 2009 were 8.59, 8.43, 6.67, 6.58 and 7.70, respectively, indicating in general a decreasing trend up to 2007. The BI showed low variation at the four narrow segments where there is also a minimum variation of the channel width. The BI has increased significantly in the upstream part of the river. Very high fluctuation of discharge (17,000 m 3 / s − 1 in 24 h) and high sediment loads of the Brahmaputra (daily mean sediment discharge of 2.0 million tonnes during monsoon), erodible alluvial banks and high width/depth ratios are the main causes of development of braiding. The interrelationship between channel width and BI of the Brahmaputra shows a positive correlation, indicating an increase in BI with increasing channel width.

Fluvial Geomorphology, Root Distribution, and Tensile Strength of the Invasive Giant Reed, Arundo Donax and Its Role on Stream Bank Stability in the Santa Clara River, Southern California

Arundo donax (giant reed) is a large, perennial grass that invades semi-arid riparian systems where it competes with native vegetation and modifies channel geomorphology. For the Santa Clara River, CA, changes in channel width and intensity of braiding over several decades are linked in part to high flow events that remove A. donax. Nevertheless, the area of A. donax at the two study sites increased fivefold over a period of 28 years at one site and fourfold over 15 years at the second site. Effects of A. donax on bank stability are compared to those of a common native riparian tree—Salix laevigata (red willow)—at two sites on the banks and floodplain of the Santa Clara River. There is a significant difference of root density of A. donax compared to S. laevigata and the latter has a higher number of roots per unit area at nearly all depths of the soil profile. Tensile root strength for S. laevigata (for roots of 1–6 mm in diameter) is about five times stronger than for A. donax and adds twice the apparent cohesion to weakly cohesive bank materials than does A. donax (8.6 kPa compared to 3.3 kPa, respectively). Modeling of bank stability for banks of variable height suggests that S. laevigata, as compared to A. donax, increases the factor of safety (FS) by ~60% for banks 1 m high, ~55% for banks 2 m high and ~40% for banks 3 m high. For 3 m high banks, the FS for banks with A. donax is <1. This has geomorphic significance because, in the case of A. donax growing near the water line of alluvial banks, the upper 10–20 cm has a hard, resistant near-surface layer overlying more erodible banks just below the near-surface rhizomal layer. Such banks may be easily undercut during high flow events, resulting in overhanging blocks of soil and A. donax that slump and collapse into the active channel, facilitating lateral bank erosion. Therefore, there is a decrease in the lateral stability of channels if the mixed riparian forest is converted to dominance by A. donax.

Controls on sinuosity in the sparsely vegetated Fossálar River, southern Iceland

Vegetation exerts strong controls on fluvial sinuosity, providing bank stability and buffering surface runoff. These controls are manifest in densely vegetated landscapes, whereas sparsely vegetated fluvial systems have been so far overlooked. This study integrates remote sensing and gauging records of the meandering to wandering Fossálar River, a relatively steep-sloped (<2.5%) Icelandic river featuring well-developed point bars (79%–85% of total active bar surface) despite the lack of thick, arborescent vegetation. Over four decades, fluctuations in the sinuosity index (1.15–1.43) and vegetation cover (63%–83%) are not significantly correlated (r=0.28, p>0.05), suggesting that relationships between the two are mediated by intervening variables and uncertain lag times. By comparison, discharge regime and fluvial planform show direct correlation over monthly to yearly time scales, with stable discharge stages accompanying the accretion of meander bends and peak floods related to destructive point-bar reworking. Rapid planform change is aided by the unconsolidated nature of unrooted alluvial banks, with recorded rates of lateral channel-belt migration averaging 18m/yr. Valley confinement and channel mobility also control the geometry and evolution of individual point bars, with the highest degree of spatial geomorphic variability recorded in low-gradient stretches where lateral migration is unimpeded. Point bars in the Fossálar River display morphometric values comparable to those of other sparsely vegetated rivers, suggesting shared scalar properties. This conjecture prompts the need for more sophisticated integrations between remote sensing and gauging records on modern rivers lacking widespread plant life. While a large volume of experimental and field-based work maintains that thick vegetation has a critical role in limiting braiding, thus favouring sinuosity, this study demonstrates the stronger controls of discharge regime and alluvial morphology on sparsely vegetated sinuous rivers.

One-Dimensional Effective Stress Non-Masing Nonlinear Ground Response Analysis of IIT Guwahati

Ground response analysis (GRA) helps to assess the influence of the soil medium on the propagating shear waves and indicates about the characteristics of the waves reaching the ground surface from the bedrock level. Such a study becomes imperative for the urbanized alluvial banks of North-Eastern region of India, which is located in the highest seismic zone of the country. Conventionally, GRA is carried out based equivalent linear approach, which being a simplistic approach is unable to capture the nonlinear characteristics of saturated silty sands subjected to seismic shaking. This article presents the outcome of seismic one-dimensional nonlinear GRA of IIT Guwahati (located on a varying geology in the saturated alluvial banks of River Brahmaputra) considering pore-water pressure dissipation characteristics and non-Masing unload-reload criteria. Various ground response parameters obtained from the study helps in the accurate identification of the earthquake intensity based site amplification of the region expressed through a 2-D mapping.

A vector-based method for bank-material tracking in coupled models of meandering and landscape evolution

Sinuous channels commonly migrate laterally and interact with banks of different strengths—an interplay that links geomorphology and life and shapes diverse landscapes from the seafloor to planetary surfaces. To investigate feedbacks between meandering rivers and landscapes over geomorphic timescales, numerical models typically represent bank properties using grids; however, this approach produces results inherently dependent on grid resolution. Herein we assess existing techniques for tracking landscape and bank-strength evolution in numerical models of meandering channels and show that grid-based models implicitly include unintended thresholds for bank migration that can control simulated landscape evolution. Building on stratigraphic modeling techniques, we develop a vector-based method for land surface- and subsurface-material tracking that overcomes the resolution-dependence inherent in grid-based techniques by allowing high-fidelity representation of bank-material properties for curvilinear banks and low channel lateral migration rates. We illustrate four specific applications of the new technique: (1) the effect of resistant mud-rich deposits in abandoned meander cutoff loops on meander belt evolution; (2) the stratigraphic architecture of aggrading, alluvial meandering channels that interact with cohesive-bank and floodplain material; (3) the evolution of an incising, meandering river with mixed bedrock and alluvial banks within a confined bedrock valley; and (4) the effect of a bank-height dependent lateral-erosion rate for a meandering river in an aggrading floodplain. In all cases the vector-based approach overcomes numerical artifacts with the grid-based model. Because of its geometric flexibility, the vector-based material tracking approach provides new opportunities for exploring the coevolution of meandering rivers and surrounding landscapes over geologic timescales.

Spatial variability in sedimentation rates and artificial radionuclide storage in alluvial banks of the lower Rhône River

This paper analyzes the relationship between bank sediment storage and radionuclide content in six alluvial sites located in different geomorphic contexts along the lower Rhone River. The 137Cs, 238Pu, 239+240Pu, 241Am and 210Pb profiles show different patterns, which indicates a differential storage of contaminated sediment in the banks. Three sites record historical nuclear releases in the river and give evidence for long-term retention of particle-reactive long-lived radionuclides. Two sites record only atmospheric global fallout. Only one site, connected to the river groundwater, provides some evidence for desorption of particle-bound contaminants, with a low and constant 137Cs activity profile. The history of the releases from the Marcoule spent-fuel reprocessing plant—the main source of artificial radioactivity—provides a reliable chronology of the last 50 years. Sediment grain size and bank topography are important factors in determining where artificial radionuclides are stored, but these two parameters cannot be used alone to determine variations in high concentrations of radionuclides. The chronology of fluvial geomorphic “metamorphosis” during the twentieth Century, especially after 1960, is also a critical factor affecting the spatial variability in sedimentation rates and artificial radionuclide storage; the timing of channel deepening and bank sedimentary accretion interfere with the chronology of major floods and the short period of low discharge during the height of contamination from nuclear liquid effluents. The reach-scale adjustment described in this paper can contribute to determining what the local history may have been. This result has important implications for river management decisions.

A comparison of average rates of alluvial erosion between the south‐western and south‐eastern United States

AbstractAlluvial channel bed incision and bank widening have been reported in both the south‐western and south‐eastern US throughout the past century. Distinct regional differences in climate and landscape properties likely influence the rate of erosion. This study discusses regional differences in hydraulic driving forces and substrate resistance and tests the hypothesis that regional differences exist in average rates of channel incision, bank erosion, and knickpoint retreat. Specifically, we hypothesize that erosion rates are higher in south‐western US streams and reason that this is because of greater flood magnitudes and limited substrate resistance. A review of the literature documenting incision, bank erosion, and knickpoint retreat, however, indicates that intra‐regional differences are larger than inter‐regional differences and that average rates in the south‐western US are either statistically similar or less than the rates in parts of the south‐eastern US. This could either be a result of strong intra‐regional hydroclimatic and substrate variability or because average erosion rate may not be an appropriate metric for inter‐regional comparisons because of the variability between case studies associated with the field methods to measure erosion, duration of study period, and time since disturbance to the channel. Nevertheless, these findings provide a basis for future evaluations of the relative importance of different controls on driving and resisting forces in these and other landscapes characterized by rapid channel incision and arroyo formation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Pathological findings in the spines of a prehistoric population that dwelled at the alluvial banks of the Paraná river

Pathological findings in the spines of a prehistoric population that dwelled at the alluvial banks of the Paraná river

ERODIBILITY OF URBAN BEDROCK AND ALLUVIAL CHANNELS, NORTH TEXAS1

ABSTRACT: Major erosion of urban stream channels is found in smaller basins in the North Texas study area with contributing drainage areas of less than ten square miles. Within these basins, four basic channel types are identified based on bed and bank lithologies: alluvial banks and bottoms, alluvial banks and gravel bottoms, alluvial banks with rock bottoms, and rock banks with rock bottoms. Most channels (75 percent) have alluvial banks with gravel or rock bottoms. Channel slopes are steep (.38 to.76 percent). Rock consists predominantly of shale and limestone. Channel cross sections are divided into the following four zones based on weathering, scour and entrainment mechanisms: soil zone, slake zone, rock zone and bed material zone. Erodibility of the channels is determined using multiple techniques including reach hydraulics and stream power computations, submerged jet testing, slab entrainment thresholds, and slake durability rates. Procedures are based on both empirical and modeled time series estimates of channel erosion. Field and modeled results support rates of erosion of up to four inches per year. Rates are tied to flow regime, climate, and type of channel bed and banks.

Variation of early summer and annual temperature in east Taymir and Putoran (Siberia) over the last two millennia inferred from tree rings

Regional tree ring chronology with extension 2209 years (from 212 B.C. till 1996 A.D.) was built for east Taymir and Putoran according to wood of living trees, well‐preserved remains of dead trees, and subfossil wood from alluvial bank deposits by the cross‐dating method. In addition, the “floating” tree ring width chronology for the period of Holocene optimum (3300–2600 B.C.) was built with extention 685 years and supported by several radiocarbon dates. High values of synchrony and correlation of individual tree ring series show a prevailing effect of one external factor on radial tree growth change in the studied region of the Siberian subarctic. It was established that the main factors of growth variability are the early summer and annual temperature, which explain up to 70% of tree growth rate variability. Cyclic components stable for two millennia were revealed at analysis of the tree ring chronology: double secular (∼180 years), secular (78–90 years), and intrasecular (44, 28, 11, and 6.7–6.9 years) variations. Models for reconstruction of the early summer and annual air temperature were obtained according to tree ring variability. Temperature dynamics in the eastern part of Taymir for the last two millenia agree well with temperature variations in the Northern Hemisphere obtained according to other indirect sources. The warming of the middle of the twentieth century is not extraordinary. The warming at the end of the first and beginning of the second millennia (“Medieval Warm Period”) was longer in time and closer in amplitude.

Woody vegetation and channel morphogenesis in low-gradient, gravel-bed streams in the Ozark Plateaus, Missouri and Arkansas

Woody vegetation affects channel morphogenesis in Ozark streams of Missouri and Arkansas by increasing local roughness, increasing bank strength, providing sedimentation sites, and creating obstructions to flow. Variations in physiographic controls on channel morphology result in systematic changes in vegetation patterns and geomorphic functions with increasing drainage basin area. In upstream reaches, streams have abundant bedrock control and bank heights that typically are less than or equal to the rooting depth of trees. In downstream reaches where valleys are wider and alluvial banks are higher vegetation has different geomorphic functions. At drainage areas of greater than 100–200 kM 2, Ozarks streams are characterized by longitudinally juxtaposed reaches of high and low lateral channel migration rates, referred to as disturbance reaches and stable reaches, respectively. Whereas stable reaches can develop stable forested floodplains (if they are not farmed), disturbance reaches are characterized by dynamic vegetation communities that interact with erosion and deposition processes. Disturbance reaches can be subdivided into low-gradient and high-gradient longitudinal zones. Low-energy zones are characterized by incremental, unidirectional lateral channel migration and deposition of gravel and sand bars. The bars are characterized by prominent bands of woody vegetation and ridge and swale topography. Channel monitoring data indicate that densely vegetated bands of woody vegetation formed depositional sites during bedload-transporting events. The same floods caused up to 20 m of erosion of adjacent cutbanks, scoured non-vegetated areas between vegetation bands, and increased thalweg depth and definition. In high-energy (or riffle) zones, channel movement is dominantly by avulsion. In these zones, vegetation creates areas of erosional resistance that become temporary islands as the channel avulses around or through them. Woody vegetation on islands creates steep, root-defended banks that contribute to narrow channels with high velocities. Calculation of hydraulic roughness from density and average diameter of woody vegetation groups of different ages indicates that flow resistance provided by vegetation decreases systematically with group age, mainly through decreasing stem density. If all other factors remain constant, the stabilizing effect of a group of woody vegetation on a gravel bar decreases with vegetation age.

Monitoring and management of streambank erosion and natural revegetation on the lower Gordon River, Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, Australia

The wash from high-speed tourist cruise launches causes erosion of the formerly stable banks of the lower Gordon River within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Speed and access restrictions on the operation of commercial cruise vessels have considerably slowed, but not halted erosion, which continues on the now destabilized banks. To assess the effectiveness of restrictions, bank erosion and natural revegetation are monitored at 48 sites using erosion pins, survey transects, and vegetation quadrats. The subjectively chosen sites are grouped on the basis of geomorphology and bank materials. The mean measured rate of erosion of estuarine banks slowed from 210 to 19 mm/year with the introduction of a 9 knot speed limit. In areas where cruise vessels continue to operate, alluvial banks were eroded at a mean rate of 11 mm/yr during the three-year period of the current management regime. Very similar alluvial banks no longer subject to commercial cruise boat traffic eroded at the slower mean rate of 3 mm/yr. Sandy levee banks have retreated an estimated maximum 10 m during the last 10–15 years. The mean rate of bank retreat slowed from 112 to 13 mm/yr with the exclusion of cruise vessels from the leveed section of the river. Revegetation of the eroded banks is proceeding slowly; however, since the major bank colonizers are very slow growing tree species, it is likely to be decades until revegetation can contribute substantially to bank stability.

Near-Bank Impacts of River Stage Control

Retention of pools to allow navigation has produced a characteristic, anomalous topography on a number of rivers (e.g., Ohio, Illinois, Kanawha). A gently sloping subaqueous bench at and just below minimum pool stage has been observed at hundreds of sites on these rivers. Bench formation is the result of bank failure and erosion processes including seepage-induced erosion, localized failure of undermined layers, reworking of failed soils by waves, and erosion by current forces. Benches are prevalent along alluvial banks composed of layered soils. The shallow-water zones over these benches are ecologically significant. Design and construction of bank protection measures must address the mechanisms that produce these benches.

SEDIMENT YIELD CONDITIONED BY GLACIATION IN A RURAL AGRICULTURAL BASIN OF SOUTHERN ONTARIO, CANADA

A sediment budget is constructed for the South Saugeen River, a sixth-order stream basin in southwestern Ontario. Input from eroding glacial embankments accounts for up to 68% of the fine (<63 μm) sediment outputs from the basin. Sediment derived from eroding alluvial banks in the main river contributes approximately 22% of sediment outputs and is approximately equivalent in magnitude to sediments stored in the floodplain. The remaining 10% is derived from sheet and rill erosion of uplands that have been modified by agriculture. However, specification of an appropriate sediment delivery ratio from individual fields to the low-order tributaries remains problematic. Small reservoirs confined by mill dams constructed around the time of land settlement in 1860 store about 3% of the basin sediment inputs. The results demonstrate the importance of downstream, non-alluvial (glacial) sediment sources and can be linked to the model of increasing specific sediment yields with drainage area found in several other ri...

Riverbank change— sixmile island, Ohio river, USA

Soil exploration, collection of hydrologic and meteorologic data, and sequential comparative photography were used to investigate erosion/deposition on alluvial banks of an island in the Ohio River from April 1980 through April 1982. Major erosion episodes coincided with flood events and were caused primarily by exit of bank recharge waters from pervious bank soil layers after flood recession. Waves created by wind and/or vessel passage were of little significance in causing bank failure. Floodwater tractive forces, runout of precipitation-derived waters, and wave action were effective only in removing soft sediments or loose debris from upper bank failures. Sediments deposited by spring floods, if allowed to dry for two to three months, strongly resisted subsequent wave attack.