Data for: Measuring Streambank Erosion: A Comparison of Erosion Pins, Total Station, and Terrestrial Laser Scanner
Description
This is data for the manuscript "Measuring Streambank Erosion: A Comparison of Erosion Pins, Total Station, and Terrestrial Laser Scanner" by Dan Myers (myersda@mail.gvsu.edu), Dr. Rick Rediske, and Dr. Jim McNair of the Annis Water Resources Institute (Muskegon, MI, USA). The abstract is included below: Streambank erosion is important to watershed managers because it can be the dominant entry pathway of sediment to streams and also damages aquatic habitat for fish and invertebrates, riparian areas, and infrastructure. Bank erosion is difficult to measure and quantify and both models and field methods are needed to assess the significance of this important source. Our objectives were to 1) evaluate and compare three techniques for quantifying sediment pollution from streambanks: erosion pins, total station surveyor, and laser scanning, 2) spatially assess streambank erosion rates in the Indian Mill Creek watershed of Michigan, USA, and 3) relate streambank erosion results with a modeling study of nonpoint source pollution in the Indian Mill Creek watershed. We were unable to detect significant differences between measurement techniques. Total station and laser scanner data were correlated, but neither erosion pins and total station nor erosion pins and laser scanner were correlated. The terrestrial laser scanner collected high resolution data on barren streambanks with a clear line of sight, but the coarser erosion pin or total station techniques are preferable for vegetated banks because of better coverage. We estimate that streambank erosion contributes 2,020 Mg yr-1 of sediment to Indian Mill Creek, which is 28.5% of the total sediment load. This research is important for watershed managers addressing the sources of fish and macroinvertebrate community impairments in Indian Mill Creek and other watersheds that are degraded by excessive sediment.