Analysis of the relationship between morphometric properties and erodibility using topographic position index in the Pivehzhen binalod

Subject Areas : Applications in water resources management

Mahnaz Naemitabar ¹ , Mohammad Ali Zanganeh Asadi ² , Rahman Zandi ³

1 - PhD. Student of Geomorphology, Department of Geomorphology, Faculty of Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Hakim Sabzevari, Sabzevar, Iran
2 - Associate Professor, Department of Geomorphology, Faculty of Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Hakim Sabzevari, Sabzevari, Iran
3 - Associate Professor, Department of Remote sensing and GIS, Faculty of Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Hakim Sabzevari, Sabzevar, Iran

Received: 2021-06-25 Accepted : 2021-11-06 Published : 2023-01-21

Keywords: Topographic Position Index (TPI), Erodibility, Morphometry, landform,

Abstract :

Background and Objective The morphometric parameters of the catchment are very suitable indicators for the analysis of geomorphological processes. Erosion studies and sediment production are among the most important research carried out by geoscientists, especially geomorphologists, to implement soil and water conservation programs, reduce erosion, change the hydraulic flow of rivers, and prevent the reduction of reservoir dam lake capacity. To measure the geometric (geometric) characteristics of a river, the term morphometry or river shaping is used. In fact, morphometrics is the quantitative analysis of the geomorphic features of landforms in an area. Morphometric analysis is one of the effective methods for prioritizing sub-basins that can indicate the status of the drainage network of the basin. Investigation of morphometric features of the Piveh Gene watershed is based on morphometric and geomorphometric indices. Considering the importance of studying morphometric characteristics in watershed studies and examining the degree of erosion in this study, the aim is to analyze the morphometric features with the type of landform and predict the amount of erosion through landforms.Materials and Methods In the present study, for morphometric analysis, ArcGIS software, a digital elevation model (DEM) with an accuracy of 20 meters, prepared from 1:50,000 digital topographic maps of the National Mapping Organization and Aster satellite images were used. Has been. To extract the number of waterways, ArcView software, a digital terrestrial model (DEM), has been used. For the slope parameter and the slope direction and height of the study area, we used a topographic map and a digital elevation model of the earth. In order to prepare the drainage density parameter, the existing elevation waterways were extracted from the digital elevation model using the module (Spectral indices) in Archydro and the digital elevation model of the Aster satellite. A threshold of 25-50 cells was selected for drainage network extraction and the drainage network was plotted. In the last step, waterways were classified by astral method and morphometric parameters were extracted. To separate the landforms of the region, a digital model of height with a resolution of 20 meters was used and then the type of landforms were identified based on TPI or topographic position index and according to equation TPIi = Z0 – Σ n-1 Zn/n (Z0 Model point height under evaluation, Zn The height of the grid, n The total number of surrounding points considered in the evaluation) comparing the height of each cell in a digital model TPI, Height is adjacent to the average height of the cells. Finally, the average height decreases from the height value in the center.Results and Discussion Morphometric parameters studied in this paper include the number of streams (Nu), the rank of streams (U), the length of streams (L), bifurcation coefficient (Rb), roughness coefficient (Bb), drainage density (Dd), frequency of streams  (F), shape factor (Rf), roundness coefficient (Rc) and rectangle coefficient are equivalent (Re). The results showed that according to the number of waterways (184 waterways), the existence of first, second, and third-degree waterways, the length of waterways, the high ratio of waterway lengths to the area of the basin, and the high unevenness coefficient of the erodible area And requires optimal planning and management. Also, landform studies in the study area showed that with the help of morphometric features, they determined the susceptibility of landforms to erosion in the area. So that after preparing the landforms using the topographic position index (TPI) and considering erosion-sensitive areas through morphometric features, erosion-sensitive landforms in the study area were identified. By comparing the landform map and the erosion zoning map of the study area, it was found that Class 2 landforms (U-shaped valley) and Class 4 landforms (high drains) have the highest erosion. The results showed that with increasing the drainage density, the amount of erosion increases.Conclusion After mapping the landforms using the topographic position index (TPI) and considering erosion-sensitive areas through morphometric features, erosion-sensitive landforms in the study area were identified. So that the increase in the number of waterways and their length in the watershed indicates an increase in erosion. Then, the topographic position index (TPI), which distinguishes between hollow and bulge, was considered as one of the geomorphometric indicators. The lower and upper limits of the index (TPI) for the study area were calculated as -39.21 and 33.51, respectively. Areas with negative TPI indicate low topography (concavities and pits) while areas with positive TPI indicate high topography (convex or ridges). The presence of dimples and holes (in areas with low TPI) increases the latency of surface currents in the area and causes water infiltration, which in turn can have a significant impact on the storage of precipitation and surface runoff. Have. The results of studies of morphometric parameters indicate that the erodibility conditions of the region are more favorable and the situation is critical. Analysis of classified data showed that the area and length of the canal are effective in erosion. By comparing the landforms map and the waterways map of the study area, it was found that the 4th floor landforms (U-shaped valleys) and the 3rd-floor landforms (high drainages) have the highest erodibility. Also, with an increasing degree of unevenness, the amount of erosion in the area increases, which in landforms located at high altitudes, such as ridges (Class 8 and 10 landforms), the highest amount and, consequently, the highest sensitivity of these landforms are determined. Class 3 locations have the highest drainage density. Due to its natural features, morphometric and physiographic features, the study area is round, which makes the time of short concentration and literal peak larger and more prone to flooding. By examining other morphological components, we came to the conclusion that the study area is prone to erosion.

References:

Ajaykumar K K, Jaweed TH, Kale SS, Umrikar BN, Sankhua RN. 2019. Identification of erosion-prone areas using modified morphometric prioritization method and sediment production rate: a remote sensing and GIS approach. Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk, 10(1): 986-1006. https://doi.org/10.1080/19475705.2018.1555189.

Arabameri A, Pourghasemi H, Rezaei K, Sohrabi M. 2019. Prioritization sub-watershed of Acemangar Basin in Chaharmahal-e- Bakhtiari for soil and water management using morphometric parameters and ensemble of TOPSIS-multivariate linear regression algorithm. Iranian Watershed Management Science and Engineering, 13(45): 87-96. http://dorl.net/dor/20.1001.1.20089554.1398.13.45.11.5. (In Persian).

Bahrami S, motamedi rad m, akbari e. 2013. Evaluation of the effect of tectonic in the quantitative characteristics of drainage system (case study: four catchments in northeast of Iran). Arid Regions Geographic Studies, 3(12): 85-102. http://journals.hsu.ac.ir/jarhs/article-1-295-en.html. (In Persian).

De Reu J, Bourgeois J, Bats M, Zwertvaegher A, Gelorini V, De Smedt P, Chu W, Antrop M, De Maeyer P, Finke P. 2013. Application of the topographic position index to heterogeneous landscapes. Geomorphology, 186: 39-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2012.12.015.

Farhan Y, Anbar A, Al-Shaikh N, Mousa R. 2016. Prioritization of semi-arid agricultural watershed using morphometric and principal component analysis, remote sensing, and GIS techniques, the Zerqa River Watershed, Northern Jordan. Agricultural Sciences, 8(1): 113-148. https://doi.org/10.4236/as.2017.81009.

Gayen S, Bhunia GS, Shit PK. 2013. Morphometric analysis of Kangshabati-Darkeswar Interfluves area in West Bengal, India using ASTER DEM and GIS techniques. http://111.93.204.14:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/582.

Gidey G, Ketema T, Gashu G, Deressa S. 2021. GIS Based Morphometric Analysis of Gudina Wacho Watershed, Western Ethiopia: Suggestion for Surface Irrigation Development. Journal of Water Resources and Ocean Science, 10(5): 92-99. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wros.20211005.11.

Gomez-Heras M, Ortega-Becerril JA, Garrote J, Fort R, Lopez-Gonzalez L. 2019. Morphometric measurements of bedrock rivers at different spatial scales and applications to geomorphological heritage research. Progress in Earth and Planetary Science, 6(1): 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40645-019-0275-0.

Gudowicz J, Paluszkiewicz R. 2021. MAT: GIS-Based Morphometry Assessment Tools for Concave Landforms. Remote Sensing, 13(14): 2810. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13142810.

Horton RE. 1945. Erosional development of streams and their drainage basins; hydrophysical approach to quantitative morphology. Geological society of America bulletin, 56(3): 275-370.

Jafari GH, Qafori K. 2021. Erodibility status analysis of sub-basins of Zagros Morphotectonic unit in relation to morphometric characteristics. Environmental Erosion Research Journal, 10(4): 74-89. http://dorl.net/dor/20.1001.1.22517812.1399.10.4.1.8. (In Persian).

Joshi M, Kumar P, Sarkar P. 2021. Morphometric parameters based prioritization of a Mid-Himalayan watershed using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process. In: E3S Web of Conferences. EDP Sciences, p 10004. https://doi.org/10010.11051/e10003sconf/202128010004.

Khan M, Gupta V, Moharana P. 2001. Watershed prioritization using remote sensing and geographical information system: a case study from Guhiya, India. Journal of Arid Environments, 49(3): 465-475. https://doi.org/10.1006/jare.2001.0797.

Kumar B, Rao CUB, Rao KS, Patel A, Kushwaha K, Singh SK. 2021. Geomorphic analysis, morphometric-based prioritization and tectonic implications in Chite Lui river, Northeast India. Journal of the Geological Society of India, 97: 385-395. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-021-1696-0.

Kumar R, Singh P, Mishra VN, Singh A, Sajan B, Shahi AP. 2019. Geospatial approach for quantitative drainage morphometric analysis of varuna river basin, India. Journal of Landscape Ecology, 12(2): 1-25. https://doi.org/10.2478/jlecol-2019-0007.

Lalramchulloa DA, Rao CUB, Rinawma P. 2021. Morphometric and Sinuosity Analysis of Tlawng River Basin: A Geographic Information System Approach. Journal of Geographical Studies, 5: 22-32. https://doi.org/10.21523/gcj5.21050103.

Mahala A. 2020. The significance of morphometric analysis to understand the hydrological and morphological characteristics in two different morpho-climatic settings. Applied Water Science, 10(1): 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-019-1118-2.

Miller V. 1953. A quantitative geomorphologic study of drainage watershed characteristics in the Clinch Mountain area, Virginia and Tennessee. Project NR 389042, Tech Report 3. Columbia University Department of Geology. ONR Geography Branch. New York. 77-93.

Moglen GE, Eltahir EA, Bras RL. 1998. On the sensitivity of drainage density to climate change. Water resources research, 34(4): 855-862. https://doi.org/10.1029/97WR02709.

Mohammed A, Adugna T, Takala W. 2018. Morphometric analysis and prioritization of watersheds for soil erosion management in Upper Gibe catchment. Journal of Degraded and Mining Lands Management, 6(1): 1419. https://doi.org/10.15243/jdmlm.2018.061.1419.

Muralitharan J, Abebe A, Duraisamy R. 2021. Drainage Morphometric Analysis of Shope watershed, Rift Valley, Ethiopia: Remote sensing and GIS-based approach. In: IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, vol 1. IOP Publishing, pp 012009. https://doi.org/012010.011088/011755-011315/012796/012001/012009.

Nawaj S, Siddiqui L, Islam MS, Parveen N, Saha M. 2021. Evolution of river course and morphometric features of the River Ganga: A case study of up and downstream of Farakka Barrage. International Soil and Water Conservation Research, 9(4): 578-590. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iswcr.2021.01.006.

Obeidat M, Awawdeh M, Al‐Hantouli F. 2021. Morphometric analysis and prioritisation of watersheds for flood risk management in Wadi Easal Basin (WEB), Jordan, using geospatial technologies. Journal of Flood Risk Management, 14(2): e12711. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12711.

Psomiadis E, Charizopoulos N, Soulis KX, Efthimiou N. 2020. Investigating the correlation of tectonic and morphometric characteristics with the hydrological response in a Greek river catchment using earth observation and geospatial analysis techniques. Geosciences, 10(9): 377. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10090377.

Rajabi M, Roostaei S, Akbari B. 2019. Investigation of Meandering Pattern of Aji-Chay River Using Central Angle Indices and Curvature coefficient (Area between Bakhshayesh and Khajeh). Hydrogeomorphology, 6(20): 21-40. http://dorl.net/dor/20.1001.1.23833254.1398.6.20.2.5. (In Persian).

Różycka M, Migoń P. 2021. Morphometric properties of river basins as indicators of relative tectonic activity–Problems of data handling and interpretation. Geomorphology, 389: 107807. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2021.107807.

Schumm SA. 1956. Evolution of drainage systems and slopes in badlands at Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Geological society of America bulletin, 67(5): 597-646. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1956)67[597:EODSAS]2.0.CO;2.

Sethupathi A, Narasimhan CL, Vasanthamohan V, Mohan S. 2011. Prioritization of miniwatersheds based on Morphometric Analysis using Remote Sensing and GIS techniques in a draught prone Bargur–Mathur subwatersheds, Ponnaiyar River basin, India. International Journal of Geomatics and Geosciences, 2(2): 403-414.

Singh W, Barman S, Tirkey G. 2021. Morphometric analysis and watershed prioritization in relation to soil erosion in Dudhnai Watershed. Applied Water Science, 11(9): 151. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-021-01483-5.

Strahler AN. 1952. Hypsometric (area-altitude) analysis of erosional topography. Geological society of America bulletin, 63(11): 1117-1142. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1952)63[1117:HAAOET]2.0.CO;2.

Strahler AN. 1957. Quantitative analysis of watershed geomorphology. Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union, 38(6): 913-920. https://doi.org/10.1029/TR038i006p00913.