Assessment of river alteration using a new hydromorphological index


Gunduz O., ŞİMŞEK C.

ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT, cilt.193, sa.4, 2021 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 193 Sayı: 4
  • Basım Tarihi: 2021
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s10661-021-09018-w
  • Dergi Adı: ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, ABI/INFORM, Aqualine, Aquatic Science & Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, Compendex, EMBASE, Environment Index, Food Science & Technology Abstracts, Geobase, Greenfile, MEDLINE, Pollution Abstracts, Public Affairs Index, Veterinary Science Database, Civil Engineering Abstracts
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Hydromorphology index, River alteration, Human effects, Gediz River Basin, Turkey
  • Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Main river systems in large watersheds are mostly destroyed due to intense human activities. These rivers are modified by a number of water infrastructures such as dams, diversion weirs, flood control structures, and sediment traps. Such modifications alter the hydrology, continuity, and habitat quality of river waterbodies and degrade their overall ecological status. This study provides a systematic and quantitative assessment of river hydromorphology with a composite index based on four sets of criteria (i.e., hydrology, channel continuity, habitat quality, and bed modification) to assess the level of human intervention. The developed index is tested and implemented in Gediz River Basin in Western Anatolia (Turkey), which is one of the most important watersheds with regard to human settlements as well as agricultural and industrial production. The results of the developed index have revealed values between 42.36 and 88.14 on a 0-100 scale and a gradual decline in overall river hydromorphological quality along the flow path. The analysis has shown that barrier effects were found to be crucial in reduced river continuity and bed modification for flood control has resulted in degraded instream and riverbank habitat quality. The developed index methodology can serve as a systematic tool for assessing the hydromorphology and its associated influence in the ecological status of rivers. It can further assist the decision-makers in planning and prioritizing river restoration projects.