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Class 4 - Watershed Geomorphology

This document discusses the geomorphology of watersheds. It describes watershed geomorphology as studying the characteristics, configuration, and evolution of landforms. The key geomorphological properties discussed are linear aspects (stream networks and characteristics), aerial aspects (watershed area, shape, and drainage density), and relief aspects (watershed slope). Quantifying these properties provides insight into a watershed's hydrological behavior and can be used to develop hydrologic models.

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Arturo Garcia
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130 views

Class 4 - Watershed Geomorphology

This document discusses the geomorphology of watersheds. It describes watershed geomorphology as studying the characteristics, configuration, and evolution of landforms. The key geomorphological properties discussed are linear aspects (stream networks and characteristics), aerial aspects (watershed area, shape, and drainage density), and relief aspects (watershed slope). Quantifying these properties provides insight into a watershed's hydrological behavior and can be used to develop hydrologic models.

Uploaded by

Arturo Garcia
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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WATERSHED

GEOMORPHOLOGY
Josept D. Revuelta Acosta, Ph.D.
Geomorphology of watershed

Watershed geomorphology refers to studying landforms' characteristics, configuration, and


evolution. It encompasses the characteristics of the land surface as well as the characteristics of
the channels within the watershed/basin boundary.

These properties of watersheds can significantly


affect the characteristics of runoff and other
hydrological processes.
Importance
The geomorphologic attributes of a watershed provide valuable insight into its hydrological
behavior and can be used to develop design hydrologic models. The quantification of the
geomorphological properties are important for estimating the watershed hydrologic
processes.

These attributes can be broadly classified as

1. Linear aspects (one-dimensional)


2. Aerial aspects (two-dimensional)
3. Relief aspects (three-dimensional)
Linear aspects

Linear characteristics refer to streams and their network within a watershed. In general,
these are one-dimensional properties. The important linear characteristics of a
wateshed are watershed perimeter, stream order, stream length

Outlet

Channel or stream

Watershed boundary
Linear aspects

The watershed perimeter is the outer boundary of the watershed that


enclosed its area. It is measured along the divides between watersheds.
It is an indicator of watershed shape and size.

The stream order is a rank used to study and


measure the waterways in the world. The stream
order can be obtained using two schemes: the
Strahler order and the Shreve order. The former is
the most popular due to its simplicity.
Linear aspects

What is the order of this


basin?
Linear aspects
The stream length corresponds to the length in meters or kilometers or a particular stream
order. This morphological propetes is used to determine the watershed's drainage density

ORDER LENGTH (m)

1 1466.28

2 1761.90

3 1271.45

4 1745.65

5 1942.25
Linear aspects
The bifurcation ratio expresses the branching pattern of the stream network and it is
a measure of drainage density. The numerical value is generally more than 1. It is
defined as the ratio of the number of streams of a particular order (Nu) to the number
of streams of the next higher order (Nu+1).

ORDER COUNT Rb

1 85

2 29 2.93

3 39 0.74

4 12 3.25

5 3 4
Linear aspects

The drainage density is defined as total length of all streams per unit area of the watershed:
Linear aspects

The basin length has been defined in several ways; however, the most appropriate may be as the
longest flow length of the watershed.

meters
Aereal aspects

Drainage area, basin area, and catchment area are synonyms of the watershed area. It is the
area surrounded by the ridge line or divide of that watershed. It can be expressed in square
meters, hectares, or square kilometers. It is an important morphological feature as the amount
of runoff is influenced by it.
Aereal aspects
Watersheds may have several shapes. Broadly we may consider fan-shaped (circular) and fern-
shaped (elliptical) watersheds. The shape is closely related to the contribution of runoff to the
outlet. In fan-shaped watersheds, the runoff from various parts accumulates at the outlet at
almost the same time, thus the peak runoff is high. In fern-shaped watersheds, the runoff from
various parts reach gradually to the outlet, thus the peak runoff is lower than fan-shaped
watersheds.
Aereal aspects
The watershed shape is reflected by a number of parameters like form factor, shape factor,
circulatory ratio, elongation ratio, and compactness coefficient.

The form factor is defined as the ratio between the watershed area (Aw) and the square of the
watershed length (Lw). It is a dimensionless number and will always be less than 1. For a perfectly
fan-shaped watershed, the form factor is equal to 0.786. Fern-shaped watersheds have values
smaller than 0.786. Smaller form factors indicate more watershed elongation.

meters

square meters
Aereal aspects

The elongation ratio is defined as the ratio of the diameter of a circle of the same area as the
watershed to the maximum watershed length. The numerical values vary from 0 (highly
elongated shape) to 1 (circular shape). These values are group as:

Elongation ratio Shape of watershed

< 0.7 Elongated

0.8-0.7 Less elongated

0.9-0.8 Oval

> 0.6 Circular


Aereal aspects

The circulation ratio is defined as the ratio of the watershed area to the area of the circle having
the same perimeter as the watershed perimeter. The numerical value may vary between 0 (in
line) and 1 (in a circle). In general, most of the watersheds have values from 0.2 to 0.8.

square meters

square meters
Aereal aspects

The compactness coefficient is defined as the ratio of the watershed perimeter to the
circumference of the equivalent circular area.

The stream frequency is defined as the number of stream segments per unit area.

streams/km^2
Relief aspects

The watershed slope is very important as it affects the velocity, momentum of runoff, and
erosion potential of the watershed. It also affects groundwater recharge. It is calculated as the
elevation difference between the two end points of the main flow path divided by its length.
Width-Area function

This function is one of the most


robust ways to represent the spatial
variability of a drainage network.
Several studies have confirmed the
relation between the width-area
function and the streamflow
response. The hydrograph generated
by the geomorphological
instantaneous unit hydrograph under
idealized conditions in which the
surface water flows at a constant
speed without infiltration and other
losses will match the width-area
function.
THANKS.
“Wake up with determination. Go to bed with
satisfaction.” – Unknown

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