GIS-Based Site Selection for Check Dams in Watersheds: Considering Geomorphometric and Topo-Hydrological Factors
Open Access
- 13 October 2019
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in Sustainability
- Vol. 11 (20), 5639
- https://doi.org/10.3390/su11205639
Abstract
Check dams are widely used watershed management measures for reducing flood peak discharge and sediment transport, and increasing lag time and groundwater recharge throughout the world. However, identifying the best suitable sites for check dams within the stream networks of various watersheds remains challenging. This study aimed to develop an open-source software with user-friendly interface for screening the stream network possibilities and identifying and guiding the selection of suitable sites for check dams within watersheds. In this developed site selection software (SSS), multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) was integrated into geographic information systems (GIS), which allowed for numerous spatial data of the multiple criteria to be relatively simply and visually processed. Different geomorphometric and topo-hydrological factors were considered and accounted for to enhance the SSS identification of the best locations for check dams. The factors included topographic wetness index (TWI), terrain ruggedness index (TRI), topographic position index (TPI), sediment transport index (STI), stream power index (SPI), slope, drainage density (DD), and stream order (SO). The site identification performance of the SSS was assessed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve method, with results for the case study example of the Poldokhtar watershed in Iran showing excellent performance and identifying 327 potential sites for efficient check dam construction in this watershed. The SSS tool is not site-specific but is rather general, adaptive, and comprehensive, such that it can and should be further applied and tested across different watersheds and parts of the world.This publication has 75 references indexed in Scilit:
- Using topographic wetness index in vegetation ecology: does the algorithm matter?Applied Vegetation Science, 2010
- Siting MSW landfill using weighted linear combination and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) methodology in GIS environment (case study: Karaj)Waste Management, 2010
- Site selection and cost-benefit analysis for artificial recharge in the Baghmalek plain, Khuzestan Province, southwest IranHydrogeology Journal, 2009
- Method to improve the mitigative effectiveness of a series of check dams against debris flowsHydrological Processes, 2008
- Lessons for successful participatory watershed modeling: A perspective from modeling practitionersEcological Modelling, 2008
- Effectiveness and geomorphological impacts of check dams for soil erosion control in a semiarid Mediterranean catchment: El Cárcavo (Murcia, Spain)CATENA, 2007
- An efficient method for identifying and filling surface depressions in digital elevation models for hydrologic analysis and modellingInternational Journal of Geographical Information Science, 2006
- The effectiveness of loose rock check dams for gully control in Tigray, northern EthiopiaSoil Use and Management, 2004
- Predicting Late Winter Distribution of Muskoxen Using an Index of Terrain RuggednessArctic and Alpine Research, 1997
- A scaling method for priorities in hierarchical structuresJournal of Mathematical Psychology, 1977