ABSTRACT Riverbank erosion is a natural process in meandering rivers that contributes to sediment supply and geomorphic diversity, yet it can threaten infrastructure and human activities within the floodplain. Recently, many studies have used high‐resolution remote sensing technologies to measure bank erosion, but they often focus on technical aspects or platform comparisons rather than analyzing the geomorphic and hydrological drivers of its spatial variability. This research aimed to investigate short‐term patterns and controlling factors of bank erosion at 10 meander bends along an actively eroding gravel‐bed river. Repeated field surveys involving UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) data acquisition and GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) measurements were conducted between March 2022 and May 2024, covering periods of both significant floods and low‐flow conditions. Three key bank erosion metrics were calculated: bank retreat rate, area of eroded floodplain, and volume of eroded material. Riverbank lines were automatically vectorized using Laplacian edge detection filtering of digital surface models (DSMs) in GIS, and erosion volumes were quantified through temporal DSM differencing. The results indicated that erosion rates were positively correlated with meander sinuosity only during the high discharge period. Greater erosion was generally measured in meanders with grass‐covered banks compared to those stabilized by woody vegetation. This study contributes to understanding the short‐term dynamics of riverbank erosion at high spatial resolution, particularly under varying flow conditions. It also presents a practical workflow based on UAV data for rapid bankline delineation and erosion quantification, offering a valuable tool for river management.
Pavlek et al. (Sat,) studied this question.