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Analyzing the geomorphometric characteristics of semiarid urban watersheds based on an integrated GIS-based approach

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Abstract

Water is a vital resource for life and the nucleus of everything on the globe. Nowadays, water is becoming a scarce resource, which is a menace to humankind and its future. Due to disparity in global water distribution, regions are suffering from acute water inability while others have a surplus. Water resources have to be prudently managed as they are beneficial for humanity. This study used the shuttle radar topography mission digital elevation model data to perform a detailed morphometric analysis of the Riyadh urban area. Generally, analyzing the morphometric parameters involves linear, areal, and relief aspects; therefore, the paper covered these parameters. The morphometric analysis results revealed that the Riyadh metropolitan area delineated into 40 watersheds and has eighth-order streams with a total area of 8500 km2; although the city area is 6570 km2 according to the administrative division. Consistent with statistical analysis, stream order is inversely related to the stream number with the coefficient of determination (R2) being 99%. Meanwhile, the cumulative stream length is directly proportional to the stream order with the same R2 value. Moreover, a high bifurcation ratio in most watersheds refers to less permeable rocks with a steeper slope. Consequently, the bifurcation ratio conforms to the high drainage density of the city (1.57 km/km2) and confirms the impermeability of subsurface material and mountainous relief. The Riyadh hypsometric integral is 38%, while the erosion integral value is 62%. Both values indicate that the basin is at a mature stage.

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Acknowledgements

The project was financially supported by King Saud University, Vice Deanship of Research Chairs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alamoudi Water Research Chair, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Farid Radwan & A. A. Alazba

  2. Agricultural Engineering Department, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    A. A. Alazba

  3. Agricultural Engineering Department, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

    Amr Mossad

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  1. Farid Radwan
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  2. A. A. Alazba
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  3. Amr Mossad
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Correspondence to Farid Radwan.

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Radwan, F., Alazba, A.A. & Mossad, A. Analyzing the geomorphometric characteristics of semiarid urban watersheds based on an integrated GIS-based approach. Model. Earth Syst. Environ. 6, 1913–1932 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-020-00802-0

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