Research Concept and Prospects of Key Technologies for Intelligent Perception, Early Warning, and Prevention of Bank Collapse Risks in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River

Significance Bank collapse is a major phenomenon in the natural evolution of alluvial river channels, prevalent in nearly all river and coastal areas worldwide. It represents a critical issue in river geomorphology evolution and its impacts. The middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River are particularly susceptible to bank collapse. This phenomenon substantially threatens flood control, navigational channels, economic infrastructure, and human safety along rivers. The construction and operation of hydraulic projects, such as the Three Gorges Reservoir, have significantly altered the water and sediment dynamics in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. These changes have led to continuous channel erosion, localized river channel adjustments, and frequent bank collapses in recent years. Over the past two decades, more than 1000 incidents of bank collapse have been recorded, cumulatively spanning 760 km, causing various adverse impacts. Despite extensive research and remediation efforts, the complexity of influencing factors, intricate mechanisms, and the unpredictable nature of bank collapse continue to present significant early warning and prevention challenges. Therefore, conducting in-depth research on bank collapse mechanisms, monitoring, early warning technology, and governance systems in these regions has become necessary and urgent.Progress This study adopts a comprehensive approach encapsulated in the theme “Mechanism Revelation—Extensive Screening—Intervention Monitoring—Multi-scale Early Warning—Systematic Prevention and Control” to address critical scientific and technical challenges. It focuses on understanding bank collapse mechanisms under flow-solid coupling, developing intelligent hazard screening, real-time sensing of riverbank soil, bank collapse simulation, early warning technologies, and developing systematic prevention and control technologies integrating river channel control measures. The research employs data analysis, numerical simulation, and flume experiments to elucidate the relationship between river channel changes and bank collapse dynamics under continuous erosion conditions. It utilizes remote sensing, data fusion, and machine learning methods for intelligent hazard screening based on multi-source information fusion from “air, space, and ground”. In addition, the study integrates stereoscopic monitoring, data analysis, and technical integration methods to develop a comprehensive intelligent monitoring network and equipment for riverbank slopes. It develops a multi-scale universal model and a dynamic early warning technology system using coupled simulation, statistical analysis, and machine learning in prediction and early warning. The research proposes and demonstrates bank collapse prevention and control technologies coupled with river channel control measures, reflecting innovations primarily in the dynamic response relationship between river channel changes and bank collapse under discontinuous bank protection conditions; the implementation of innovative screening technologies; the integration of multi-source heterogeneous information from “air, space, and ground” for intelligent hazard screening; advancements in monitoring technologies, including the development of real-time sensing equipment; and innovations in simulation and early warning technologies, establishing a universal multi-scale dynamic early warning platform.Conclusions and Prospects This study aims to uncover the driving factors and intrinsic mechanisms of bank collapse in the Yangtze River’s middle and lower reaches under continuous erosion conditions. It seeks to develop key technologies for intelligent hazard perception, early warning, and preventing and controlling bank collapses. These efforts aim to achieve intelligent screening, multi-factor monitoring, dynamic early warning, and systematic prevention and control of bank collapse hazards. The research outcomes will guide the planning, design, and implementation of river channel management in these regions of the Yangtze River and facilitate the construction and application of a dynamic early warning platform for bank collapses in critical areas along the river. This will provide robust scientific support for decision-making by basin authorities, significantly enhance the predictability and management of bank collapse risks in the middle and lower Yangtze River, promote overall improvement in bank collapse hazard prevention and control, and advance flood control and disaster reduction technologies. The study will facilitate a shift from post-disaster rescue to pre-disaster prevention, providing technological support for river system management and water security enhancement. This approach is expected to yield significant economic, social, and ecological benefits, offering extensive application value and broad promotion prospects.