495 - Identifying and Quantifying Stream Erosion and Deposition using Aerial Imagery and Digital Elevation Model Technique

Instream erosion and deposition are important processes that can negatively impact stream ecosystems and surrounding landscapes. Deposition can result in the loss of channel capacity, leading to decreased water flow and increased flooding potential. It is essential to identify these areas prone to erosion and deposition and accurately measure the extent of these effects in streams. However, it is challenging to track and quantify the stream bank erosion, especially for the streams that are remote and hard to access.
We propose a novel approach for quantifying Instream erosion and deposition and identifying these locations using Aerial imagery and Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The dataset from two intervals is used to generate stream boundaries by employing the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) and then applying change detection techniques to identify erosion and deposition spots along the stream channel. We have demonstrated the use of the model for a southern channel and determined that bank erosion ranged from 1.2 tons to 2.2 tons per year. Furthermore, we overlay our analysis with velocity stream raster data to gain a comprehensive understanding of the stream dynamics and identify additional hotspots.
The results of our study provide valuable insights into various use cases and implementations. This approach can be utilized by environmental researchers, watershed managers, and conservationists to assess the impact of erosion on stream ecosystems. Our proposed presentation will demonstrate the use of this new and innovative approach in identifying and quantifying stream bank erosion.