Multiple Morphometric Characterization and Analysis of Malakan Valley Drainage Basin Using GIS and Remote Sensing, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Abstract

The morphometric analysis of a drainage system is necessary in understanding the hydrological behavior of the watersheds. Agricultural development, through the investigations of the watersheds by using Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques can be a dynamic contributor to the economy and growth of the Kurdistan Region (KRG) that on long run can enhance the political and economic stability. The Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) was used to prepare Digital Elevation Model (DEM) for evaluation of morphometric components. Various aspects such as linear, areal, and relief morphometric parameters were calculated using hydrological tool and slope-aspect in ArcGIS. The current study shows that the integration of RS and GIS is an effective approach for analyzing the morphometric pattern and land use change. Future investigation will focus broaden over all sub-watersheds of the current study giving more importance to land use in the watersheds.