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River sinuosity in a humid tropical river basin, south west coast of India

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Abstract

The variability in ground water potential at different regions of the Meenachil River basin and the remarkable distribution of palaeodeposit of sand at its middle to lower reaches have led to interpret the sinuosity indexes of the main channel as well as the tributaries of the River for elucidating the relationship between mathematical expressions and filed observations. The measurement of digital elevation model-derived river sinuosity was carried out for 846 km2 of the basin area of Meenachil River. The drainage networks of 10 major sub-watersheds and four mini-watersheds were delineated using remote sensing data—geocoded false colour composite of Indian Remote Sensing satellite (IRS)-1D (LISS III) data with a spatial resolution of 23.5 m—coupled with the Survey of India toposheets (1:50,000). The calculation of the sinuosity indexes were carried out using Arc GIS (8.3 version) software. Hydraulic sinuosity indexes, topographic sinuosity index and standard sinuosity index were calculated. The study depicts the remarkable correlation between theoretical data sets with field observations and the influence of tectonic control on river planforms. Three structurally controlled regions of Meenachil River basin were established using Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System.

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Acknowledgments

Dr. B. Ajaykumar expresses the words of gratitude to Mr. C. Balaraman, Director of Mining and Geology, Govt. of Kerala for his constant encouragement. Dr. Girish Gopinath extends his sincere thanks to Dr. K. V. Jayakumar, Executive Director, CWRDM for providing the centralised Remote Sensing facility for the analysis. Mr. M. S. Shylesh Chandran is thankful to Dr. E. V. Ramasamy, Director, School of Environmental Sciences for his support and guidance. The authors also wish to acknowledge the suggestions by the anonymous reviewers and the editor in improving the quality of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mining and Geology, Idukki District office, Government of Kerala, Thodupuzha, Kerala, India

    B. Ajay Kumar

  2. Remote Sensing Cell, Centre for Water Resources Development and Management, Kozhikode, Kerala, India

    Girish Gopinath

  3. School of Environmental Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, P. D. Hills, Kottayam, Kerala, India

    M. S. Shylesh Chandran

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  1. B. Ajay Kumar
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  2. Girish Gopinath
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  3. M. S. Shylesh Chandran
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Correspondence to B. Ajay Kumar.

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Kumar, B.A., Gopinath, G. & Chandran, M.S.S. River sinuosity in a humid tropical river basin, south west coast of India. Arab J Geosci 7, 1763–1772 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-013-0864-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-013-0864-y

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