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Effect of channel morphological changes on wetland transformation
Swades Pal1, Sandipta Debanshi1, Pankaj Singha1
1Department of Geography, University of Gour Banga, India.
The Science of the Total Environment
|June 7, 2024
Summary
Floodplain wetlands are shrinking, with 57% lost since 1991, leading to hydrological scarcity. River channel changes and human interventions are key drivers of this wetland transformation, impacting water depth and duration.
Area of Science:
- Hydrology
- Environmental Science
- Geomorphology
Background:
- Traditional methods for studying floodplain wetland transformation are insufficient.
- Wetland transformation is a critical environmental issue with significant ecological impacts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate floodplain wetland transformation using river channel morphology and drainage pattern changes.
- To identify dominant influencing factors of wetland transformation through statistical analysis.
Main Methods:
- Satellite image-based machine learning for wetland analysis.
- Intensive fieldwork for data validation.
- Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression to determine influencing factors.
Main Results:
- 57% of wetland area was lost between 1991 and 2021.
- Hydrological scarcity is evident, with low water depth areas increasing from 18.55% to 50.54%.
- Channel morphology changes, interrupted river-wetland connections, and altered flood regimes significantly drive wetland transformation.
Conclusions:
- River channel alterations and human activities are primary drivers of floodplain wetland degradation.
- The study provides high explainability (R² > 0.9) for wetland loss, decreasing water depth, and narrowed hydro-periods.
- Findings offer a valuable policy framework for effective floodplain wetland management.
Keywords:
Channel morphological changesDrainage modificationsFloodplain wetlandMachine learning and ordinary least square regressionTransformationWetland hydrologyMore Related Videos
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