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Assessing Gully Asymmetry Based on Cross-Sectional Morphology: A Case of Gangani Badland of West Bengal, India

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Gully Erosion Studies from India and Surrounding Regions

Part of the book series: Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation ((ASTI))

Abstract

Asymmetric channels are more common than symmetric due to the innate nature of movement of water in sinuous path. The extensive field investigation executed on 62 cross sections of different orders of four major gully systems (first order, 20; second order, 13; third order, 11; fourth order, 10; fifth order, 8) in Gangani badland reveals that lower-order and higher-order gullies portray lesser asymmetry compared to the intermediate orders which is reflected by the three areal asymmetry indices (A∗-first order, 0.19; third order, 0.24; and fifth order, 0.14; A 1-first order, 0.44; third order, 0.56; and fifth order, 0.29; A 2-first order, 0.26; third order, 0.31; and fifth order, 0.13) and four morphometric indices (shape index-first order, 0.3; third order, 0.3; and fifth order, 0.41; width-depth ratio-first order, 10.21; third order, 12.63; and fifth order, 7.47; erosiveness-first order, 0.49; third order, 0.48; and fifth order, 0.52; and concavity-first order, 0.50; third order, 0.49; and fifth order, 0.59). This order-asymmetry relationship is addressed in terms of morphological and sedimentological combination of various slope segments (convex, free face, rectilinear and concave). Finally, we have proposed a simple model which portrays that lower- and higher-order gullies are approximating the geometrical shape (V and U) and intermediate-order gullies are having more irregular shape due to free wandering of the concentrated flow of water as a result of the interplay between erodibility and erosivity factors in complex response system. Therefore, this study would be helpful to understand the mechanism of asymmetric behaviour of gullies.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the active participation of the postgraduate special paper (Advanced Geomorphology) students (session: 2015–2017) of the Department of Geography, Aliah University, India, in the fieldwork.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Aliah University, Kolkata, India

    Aznarul Islam & Biplab Sarkar

  2. Department of Geography, Krishnagar Government College, Nadia, West Bengal, India

    Balai Chandra Das

  3. The University of Burdwan, Bardhaman, West Bengal, India

    Suman Deb Barman

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  1. Aznarul Islam
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Raja N. L. Khan Women’s College (Autonomous), Medinipur, West Bengal, India

    Pravat Kumar Shit

  2. Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Engineering, College of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

    Hamid Reza Pourghasemi

  3. Aarvee Associates Architects, Engineers & Consultants Pvt. Ltd, Hyderabad, India

    Gouri Sankar Bhunia

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Islam, A., Sarkar, B., Das, B.C., Barman, S.D. (2020). Assessing Gully Asymmetry Based on Cross-Sectional Morphology: A Case of Gangani Badland of West Bengal, India. In: Shit, P., Pourghasemi, H., Bhunia, G. (eds) Gully Erosion Studies from India and Surrounding Regions. Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23243-6_5

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