Two-dimensional modelling of bank erosion process in the lower Jingjiang reach of the middle Yangtze River

Frequent bank erosion processes have attracted much attention in the Jingjiang Reach, a key reach in terms of flood control and navigation in the Middle Yangtze River. A coupled model for bank erosion process was proposed in this study, which integrated a two-dimensional hydro- and sediment dynamic module with a sectional bank erosion module. The proposed model was applied to simulate bank erosion processes in a sub-reach of the Lower Jingjiang Reach with a two-layer bank soil structures. The calculated results were compared well with relevant measurements, covering bank erosion sites and degrees, transverse distributions of velocity, depth and suspended sediment concentration. The characteristic of secondary flow was analyzed based on the measurements and its effect on bank erosion was discussed.