Aspects of alluvial river bank recession: Some examples from the Niger delta

The recession of alluvial channel banks occurs as a sequence of mass movements or by gradual dissolution of bank materials. Criteria for recognizing and interpreting bank recessions due to mass movement and/or erosion are presented. Using back analysis technique, slope development processes are reconstructed as a sequence of bank failure episodes and erosional events. Various mechanisms of mass bank failure and recession as well as causative agents have been identified and analyzed. A deterministic sensitivity technique based on partial differentiation can be used for evaluating the contribution of factors to bank recession and as a basis for selecting bank erosion remedial measures.