Journal of Applied Physical Science International

Abstract

Morphometric analysis is significantly important in any hydrological investigation and it is inevitable in development and management of drainage basin. A critical evaluation and assessment of morphometric parameters of Bhitarkanika Marine National Park (BNP) region have been achieved through measurement of linear, aerial and relief aspects of basins by using remote sensing and GIS techniques, and it necessitates the preparation of a detailed drainage map. The  quantitative  analysis  of  morphometric  parameters  is  proved  to  be  of  immense  utility  in  the study of coastal watershed management, water conservation  and  natural resources  management at micro  level. The present work  is  an  attempt  to  carry  out  a  detailed  study  of  linear, relief  and  areal  morphometric  parameters along with a drainage vulnerability map based on the drainage density. For planning and management activity, a detailed present land use/land cover (LULC) map is needed, thus an attempt has been made to generate the LULC of the study area. Besides these, the vegetation index and elevation distribution map have been prepared.  BNP region has an area of 1085.72 km² and lies in the administrative unit of Kendrapara district of Odisha, India. ASTER Digital Elevation Model (DEM) from United States Geological Survey (USGS) website were utilized to  delineate the drainage  system,  thus  to  identify  precisely  water  divides  using  Geographic  Information  System  (GIS).It has been found that in BNP region, the total number of streams is 1430 belonging to different stream orders with the highest order of 5. The findings will be useful for the coastal managers, decision makers in the sustainable management of the fragile coastal environment.