Streambank Erosion Susceptibility Index

Full report: Memorandum on implementing a national index for susceptibility to streambank erosion: environment.govt.nz/publications/national-index-st...

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This dataset contains predictions of the susceptibility to streambank erosion for every stream link in the RECv2.5 digital river network. Streambank erosion susceptibility is computed as a dimensionless index (range 0-100) for each stream link based on factors that may influence reach-scale bank erosion. These factors comprise stream power, the extent of riparian woody vegetation, valley confinement, channel sinuosity, and the erodibility of stream banks based on soil texture. The approach for determining streambank erosion susceptibility is described by Smith & Betts (2021) and based on the bank erosion model developed by Smith et al. (2019).

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***Smith HG, Spiekermann R, Dymond J, Basher L 2019. Predicting spatial patterns in riverbank erosion for catchment sediment budgets. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Management 53: 338–362.

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***Smith HG, Betts H 2021. Memorandum on implementing a national index for susceptibility to streambank erosion. Technical memorandum prepared for the Ministry for the Environment by Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research.