Definition
Sedimentation is the process by which material is deposited from the water column to the bed. Conversely, erosion occurs when material is removed. A long-term (say more than 30 years) average annual erosion rate is the average amount of erosion that occurs from a watershed or study area. The sedimentation/erosion rate in waterways is naturally variable because of the variability in natural processes influencing it such as water-current/flow patterns, climate (rainfall, seasonality), geology, slope (or topography), etc. Human activity (e.g., dredging, impoundments, hydrodynamic alterations, land clearing, etc.) may also result in changes to sedimentation/erosion rates. Increased sedimentation/erosion rates can result in important changes to the form and function of waterways. For example, they may cause changed shoreline and mudflats area, channel infilling, habitat/benthic community smothering or removal, community composition changes, increased turbidity levels, and the...
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© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
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Sinha, S. (2011). Erosion Rate. In: Singh, V.P., Singh, P., Haritashya, U.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Snow, Ice and Glaciers. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2642-2_142
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2642-2_142
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