NEAR CHANNEL EROSION RATES AND PROCESSES IN THE MINNESOTA RIVER WATERSHED

In the Minnesota River Watershed near channel erosion is a significant concern to ecologic health and infrastructure safety. Processes like channel widening and bluff erosion have accelerated since the arrival of European settlers, yet it is only recently that action has been taken to better understand these processes and stabilization efforts have begun. As a result of limited understanding of the factors contributing to high erosion rates, protecting infrastructure drives most stabilization efforts and ecologic benefits remain a secondary concern. In order to better understand erosion rates and the factors contributing to differential rates throughout the watershed, historic aerial photographs were analyzed to find a decadal rate of change. These data were paired with available GIS and field data to determine what factors likely contribute to the highest rates of change. By determining the factors that contribute to high erosion rates we may be able to anticipate where the most erosive features will be. Moreover, these factors can be used to better understand the dominant process of erosion in this watershed, which could improve and help focus stabilization efforts.