How might reduced silt downstream of the Three Gorges Dam cause riverbank erosion?

The Three Gorges Dam functions as a massive trap for sediment, retaining a significant portion of the Yangtze River’s natural silt load within its reservoir.12

Under natural conditions, rivers often maintain a balance between the sediment they carry and the material they deposit along their banks and beds. When water downstream of a dam is largely stripped of this sediment burden, it becomes "sediment-starved." Because the water possesses excess energy that is no longer used to transport silt, it seeks to regain its sediment load by eroding the riverbed and the surrounding banks. This process can lead to significant land degradation and instability along the river’s course, as the water actively cuts into the landscape rather than depositing material to build it up.31