Use Remote Sensing in Determining The Kashafrood River Morphology Changes

Morphology of rivers constantly changes due to their dynamic features, and these changes can negatively affect the structures in riversides, agricultural lands, etc. Meanders are considered as important indicators of environmental change. This study examines the changes of the sealing degree and meander shapes of the Kashafroud river using 1966 aerial photography, 1987 Landsat TM sensing images, and 2013 Google Earth images. In this study, morphological parameters of 16 meanders in a range of 11 kilometers along the Kashafroud river was determined for each period. The results of the paired t mean comparison showed that changes in the sealing degree ranging from 1966 to 2013 have a significant difference at level of one percent. To determine the effects of changes in some meanders parameters on sealing degree, multivariate linear regression model was used. The results showed that in case of change in the sealing degree, meanders reduce along the river. In addition, Spearman correlation analysis showed that changes in the parameters of sealing level and meander shape are strongly interdependent, so that there is a significant correlation between changes in sealing degree and meander shape at level of one percent. With increasing degree of sealing, meander shapes convert into U and Ω shapes, and meanders tend to close. In meanders with reduced sealing degree, such as meanders number 2, 3, 11, and 12, the path will mainly change into a strait one, and a part of the river will be separated as bovine horn ponds.