Watershed classification using hydroclimate and physical indices

Integrated watershed management and regeneralization of available information to ungauged basin needs to recognize homogeneous watersheds. The hydrologic similarity of watersheds is caused by the hydroclimate and physical behaviors. In present study, hydroclimate and physical indices were used for indicating the homogeneous sub-watersheds in Karkheh Watershed and then results were compared. Factor analysis to reduce in the dimension of variables was conducted, separately for climatic, hydrological and physical parameters. Finally, using Fuzzy c-means (FCM) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) homogeneous sub- watersheds were indicated by hydro-climate and physical parameters. Factor analysis results showed that indices of CSDI (cold spell duration index), GSL (growing season length), RX5day (monthly maximum consecutive 5-day precipitation), TX90p (percentage of days when daily maximum temperature is greater than 90th percentile) and TMAXmean (mean of maximum temperature) of climate indices, and indices of percent of hydrologica group D and flood potential index of hydrologic indices were selected. Also indices of basin area, basin elongation, average length of drainage and total topography between the physical parameters were selected. Comparing the results of the FCM and HCA indicated that the optimal number of clusters is same, but the results of watershed classification are not same in each cluster of two ways. Classification by hydroclimate and physical indices highlights that 25 and 27 basins were classified similar, respectively in two methods of clustering. Clustering by hydroclimate parameters produced different results compared with physical parameters, so that the 17 and 19 sub-basins are in the same classes in the FCM and HCA, respectively. However, there is no preference to accept watershed classification by hydroclimate or physical parameters, thus a combination of hydroclimate and physical parameters were used for classification. Watershed classification by the combination of hydroclimate and physical parameters indicated that 33 sub-basins were classified similar in both FCM and HCA methods. Classification in Karkheh basins based on the combination of physical and hydroclimate parameters revealed that the northern areas are in group 3, central regions (from east to west) are in group 2 and southern areas are in group 1. Inherently, these basins are similar in each group and demand the same protection operations in view of watershed management.