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Bank erosion is the wearing away of the banks of a stream or river. This is distinguished from changes on the bed of the watercourse, which is referred to as scour. Erosion and changes in the form of river banks may be measured by inserting metal rods into the bank and marking the position of the bank surface along the rods at different times.

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.

References

1. Nancy D. Gordon, "Erosion and Scour", Stream hydrology: an introduction for ecologists
2. Ian Rutherford, James Grove, "The Influence of Trees on Stream Bank Erosion", Riparian vegetation and fluvial geomorphology

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