Abstract
The morphometric analysis of river basins represents a simple procedure to describe hydrologic and geomorphic processes operating on a basin scale. A morphometric analysis was carried out to evaluate the drainage characteristics of two adjoining, mountain river basins of the southern Western Ghats, India, Muthirapuzha River Basin (MRB) in the western slopes and Pambar River Basin (PRB) in the eastern slopes. The basins, forming a part of the Proterozoic, high-grade, Southern Granulite Terrain of the Peninsular India, are carved out of a terrain dominantly made of granite- and hornblende-biotite gneisses. The Western Ghats, forming the basin divide, significantly influences the regional climate (i.e., humid climate in MRB, while semi-arid in PRB). The Survey of India topographic maps (1:50,000) and Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission digital elevation data were used as the base for delineation and analysis. Both river basins are of 6th order and comparable in basin geometry. The drainage patterns and linear alignment of the drainage networks suggest the influence of structural elements. The Rb of either basins failed to highlight the structural controls on drainage organization, which might be a result of the elongated basin shape. The irregular trends in Rb between various stream orders suggest the influence of geology and relief on drainage branching. The Dd values designate the basins as moderate- to well-drained with lower infiltration rates. The overall increasing trend of Rl between successive stream orders suggests a geomorphic maturity of either basins and confirmed by the characteristic I hyp values. The Re values imply an elongate shape for both MRB and PRB and subsequently lower vulnerability to flash floods and hence, easier flood management. The relatively higher Rr of PRB is an indicative of comparatively steeply sloping terrain and consequently higher intensity of erosion processes. Further, the derivatives of digital elevation data (slope, aspect, topographic wetness index, and stream power index), showing significant differences between MRB and PRB, are useful in soil conservation plans. The study highlighted the variation in morphometric parameters with respect to the dissimilarities in topography and climate.
References
Anonymous (2007) Benchmark soils of Kerala. Soil Survey Organization. Department of Agriculture, Government of Kerala, Kerala
Bali R, Agarwal KK, Nawaz Ali S, Rastogi SK, Krishna K (2011) Drainage morphometry of Himalayan Glacio-fluvial basin, India: hydrologic and neotectonic implications. Environ Earth Sci. doi:10.1007/s12665-011-1324-1
Beven KJ, Kirkby MJ (1979) A physically based, variable contributing area model of basin hydrology. Hydrol Sci Bull 24(1):43–70
Biswas S, Sudhakar S, Desai VR (1999) Prioritization of sub-watersheds based on morphometric analysis of drainage basin: a remote sensing and GIS approach. J Indian Soc Remote Sens 27(3):155–166
Burt TP, Butcher DP (1985) Topographic controls of soil moisture distribution. J Soil Sci 36:469–486
Chavadi VC, Hegde VS (1991) Some aspects of drainage network analysis of Gangavali River and its tributaries in northern Karnataka. In: Proceedings Conference on the Quaternary landscape of Indian Subcontinent, Department of Geology, MSU, Baroda, 26–32
Chorley RJ (1969) Introduction to fluvial processes. Methuen, UK, pp 30–52
Chorley RJ, Schumm SA, Sugden DE (1984) Geomorphology. Methuen, London, p 318
ES RI(2005) Arc GIS 9.1. Redlands, CA
Esper Angillieri MY (2008) Morphometric analysis of Colanguil river basin and flash flood hazard, San Juan, Argentina. Environ Geol 55:107–111
Eyles RJ (1966) Stream representation on Malayan maps. J Trop Geogr 22:1–9
Fermor LL (1936) An attempt at the correlation of the ancient schistose formations of Peninsular India. Mem Geol Surv India 70:1–52
Florinsky IV (1998) Combined analysis of digital terrain models and remotely sensed data in landscape investigations. Prog Phys Geogr 22:33–60
Florinsky IV, Kuryakova GA (1996) Influence of topography on some vegetation cover properties. Catena 27:123–141
Frissel CA, Liss WJ, Warren CE, Hurley MD (1986) A hierarchical framework for stream habitat classification-viewing streams in a watershed context. Environ Manage 10:199–214
Giusti EV, Schneider WJ (1962) Comparison of drainage on topographic maps of the Piedmont province. USGS Prof Paper 450 E
Giusti EV, Schneider WJ (1965) The distribution of branches in river networks. USGS Prof Paper 422 G
Gregory KJ, Walling DE (1973) Drainage basin form and process: a geomorphological approach. Edward Arnold, London, pp 37–92
Hack JT (1957) Studies of longitudinal stream profiles in Virginia and Maryland. USGS Prof Paper 294 B
Hodgson ME (1998) Comparison of angles from surface slope and aspect algorithms. Cartogr Geogr Inf Sys 25:173–185
Horton RE (1932) Drainage basin characteristics. Trans Am Geophys Union 13:350–361
Horton RE (1945) Erosional development of streams and their drainage basins: hydrophysical approach to quantitative morphology. Geol Soc Am Bull 56(3):275–370
Jacob K, Narayanaswami S (1954) The structural and drainage pattern of the Western Ghats in the vicinity of the Palaghat gap. In: Proceedings of the National Institute of Science, India 20:101–118
James EJ, Padmini V (1983) Quantitative geomorphologic studies of the Kuttiyadi River Basin on the Malabar Coast. J Inst Eng 63:266–271
Joji VS, Nair ASK (2002) Significance of fourth order sub basins of Vamanapuram River Basin, southern Kerala, India. In: Proceedings of the XII Swadeshi Science Congress 352–358
Kale VS, Shejwalkar N (2007) Western Ghats escarpment evolution in the Deccan Basalt Province: geomorphic observations based on DEM analysis. J Geol Soc India 70:459–473
Keller EA, Pinter N (1996) Active tectonic earthquakes: uplift and landscape. Prentice Hall, New Jersey, p 337
Langbein WB (1947) Topographic characteristics of drainage basins. USGS Water Supply Pap 968C:125–157
Maathuis BHP, Wang L (2006) Digital elevation model based hydro-processing. Geocarto Int 21(1):21–26
Magesh NS, Chandrasekar N, Soundranayagam JP (2011) Morphometric evaluation of Papanasam and Manimuthar watersheds, parts of Western Ghats, Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, India: a GIS approach. Environ Earth Sci 64:373–381
Mahadevan TM (1964) The origin of the charnockite suite of rocks forming part of the Western Ghats, Kerala, India. In: Proceedings of International Geological Congress, 22nd session 13:87–96
Manu MS, Anirudhan S (2008) Drainage characteristics of Achankovil River Basin, Kerala. J Geol Soc India 71:841–850
Marchi L, Fontana GD (2005) GIS morphometric indicators for the analysis of sediment dynamics in mountain basins. Environ Geol 48:218–228
Maya K (1997) Morphometric and geomorphic aspects of Chalakkudy River Basin. Technical Report PRT 97-1, Centre for Earth Science Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Mekel JFM (1970) The use of aerial photographs in geological mapping. ITC text book of Photo-interpretations, vol 8, pp 1–169
Mesa LM (2006) Morphometric analysis of a subtropical Andean basin (Tucuman, Argentina). Environ Geol 50:1235–1242
Moore ID, Grayson RB, Ladson AR (1991) Digital terrain modeling: a review of hydrological, geomorphological, and biological applications. Hydrol Process 5:3–30
Moore ID, Gesseler PE, Nielsen GA, Peterson GA (1993a) Soil attribute prediction using terrain analysis. Soil Sci Soc Am J 57:443–452
Moore ID, Grayson RB, Landson AR (1993b) Digital terrain modeling: a review of hydrological, geomorphological and biological application. In: Beven KJ, Moore ID (eds) Terrain analysis and distributed modeling in hydrology: advances in hydrological processes. Wiley, New York, pp 7–34
Morgan RPC (1971) A morphometric study of some valley systems on the English Chalklands. Trans Inst Br Geogr 54:33–44
Mulder T, Syvitsky JPM (1996) Climatic and morphologic relationships of rivers: implications of sea-level fluctuations on river loads. J Geol 104:509–523
Nag SK (1998) Morphometric analysis using remote sensing techniques in the Chaka sub-basin, Purulia district, West Bengal. J Indian Soc Remote Sens 26(1&2):69–76
Nair MM, Anilkumar PS (1989) Detailed studies of the acid intrusive of Kerala. Rec Geol Surv India 122:203–206
Nooka Ratnam K, Srivastava YK, Venkateswara Rao V, Amminedu E, Murthy KSR (2005) Check dam positioning by prioritization of micro-watersheds using SYI model and morphometric analysis-remote sensing and GIS perspective. J Indian Soc Remote Sens 33(1):25–38
Pankaj A, Kumar P (2009) GIS-based morphometric analysis of five major sub-watersheds of Song River, Dehradun District, Uttarakhand with special reference to landslide incidences. J Indian Soc Remote Sens 37(1):157–166
Pike RJ (2000) Geomorphometry: diversity in quantitative surface analysis. Prog Phys Geog 24:1–20
Quinn PF, Beven KJ (1993) Spatial and temporal prediction of soil moisture dynamics, runoff, variable source areas and evapotranspiration for Plynlimon, mid-Wales. Hydrol Process 7:425–448
Raghavan BR, Sridhara Murthy TR (1990) Stream frequency and density in Sita-Swarna basin, Karnataka, India. Indian Geog J 65:141–148
Ravindrakumar GR, Chacko T (1994) Geothermobarometry of mafic granulites of Manantoddy, North Kerala. J Geol Soc India 33(2):132–139
Scheidegger AE (1970) Theoretical geomorphology. George Allen and Unwin, London, pp 243–248
Schumm SA (1956) Evolution of drainage systems and slopes in badlands at Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Geol Soc Am Bull 67:597–646
Selby MJ (1968) Morphometry of drainage basins in areas of pumice lithology. In: Proceedings of 5th New Zealand Geological Conference, New Zealand Geological Society 169–174
Smith KG (1958) Erosional processes and landforms in Badlands National Monument, South Dakota. Geol Soc Am Bull 69:975–1008
Soman K (2002) Geology of Kerala. Geological Survey of India, Bangalore
Sreedevi PD, Subrahmanyam K, Ahmed S (2005) The significance of morphometric analysis for obtaining groundwater potential zones in a structurally controlled terrain. Environ Geol 47:412–420
Sreedevi PD, Owais S, Khan H, Ahmed S (2009) Morphometric analysis of a watershed of South India using SRTM data and GIS. J Geol Soc India 73:543–552
Strahler AN (1952) Hypsometric (area-altitude) analysis of erosional topography. Geol Soc Am Bull 63:1117–1141
Strahler AN (1954) Statistical analysis in geomorphic research. J Geol 62:1–25
Strahler AN (1957) Quantitative analysis of watershed geomorphology. Trans Am Geophys Union 38:913–920
Strahler AN (1964) Quantitative geomorphology of drainage basin and channel networks. In: Chow VT (ed) Handbook of applied hydrology. McGraw Hill, New York, pp 4–76
Thakkar AK, Dhiman SD (2007) Morphometric analysis and prioritization of miniwatersheds in Mohr watershed, Gujarat using remote sensing and GIS techniques. J Indian Soc Remote Sens 35(4):313–321
Thampi PK (1987) Geology of Munnar granite, Idukki district, Kerala, India. Thesis (PhD), University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Thomas J, Joseph S, Thrivikramji KP (2010) Morphometric aspects of a small tropical mountain river system, the southern Western Ghats, India. Int J Digit Earth 3(2):135–156
Thomas J, Joseph S, Thrivikramji KP, Abe G (2011) Morphometric analysis of the drainage system and its hydrological implications in the rain shadow regions, Kerala, India. J Geogr Sci 21(6):1077–1088
Verstappen HTh (1983) Applied geomorphology-geomorphological surveys for environmental development. Elsevier, New York, pp 57–83
Vijith H, Satheesh R (2006) GIS based morphometric analysis of two major upland sub-watersheds of Meenachil River in Kerala. J Indian Soc Remote Sens 34(2):181–185
Vittala SS, Govindaiah S, Gowda HH (2004) Morphometric analysis of the sub-watersheds in the Pavagada area of Tumkur district, South India using remote sensing and GIS techniques. J Indian Soc Remote Sens 32(4):351–362
Wilson JP, Gallant JC (2000) Terrain analysis: principles and applications. Wiley, New York, p 479
Youssef AM, Pradhan B, Hassan AM (2011) Flash flood risk estimation along the St. Katherine road, southern Sinai, Egypt using GIS based morphometry and satellite imagery. Environ Earth Sci 62:611–623
Acknowledgments
I (JT) am sincerely indebted to late Dr. R. Satheesh (SES, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala) for strongly motivating me in mountain research. Further, we are grateful to Kerala Forest Department (for permission and logistic support in the field studies) and Kerala State Council for Science, Technology, and Environment, Thiruvananthapuram (financial support).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Appendix
Appendix
See Table 5.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Thomas, J., Joseph, S., Thrivikramji, K.P. et al. Morphometrical analysis of two tropical mountain river basins of contrasting environmental settings, the southern Western Ghats, India. Environ Earth Sci 66, 2353–2366 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-1457-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-1457-2