Shahid Beheshti University Advanced Environmental Sciences 3115-7173 22 1 2024 03 20 Morphological Analysis and Assessment of a River Based on Morphological Characteristics, Artificial Structures and Channel Adjustment (Case Study: Talar River - Upstream of the Shirgah) Morphological Analysis and Assessment of a River Based on Morphological Characteristics, Artificial Structures and Channel Adjustment (Case Study: Talar River - Upstream of the Shirgah) 21 38 103119 10.48308/envs.2023.1250 FA Zohreh Talebi Department of Water Engineering and Management, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran Seyyed Ali Ayyoubzadeh Department of Water Engineering and Management, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran Hossein Mostafavi Department of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management, Environmental Sciences Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran Mohammad Mahdi Hosseinzadeh Department of Physical Geography, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran Hossein Shafizadeh Department of Water Engineering and Management, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran Journal Article 2022 11 24 Introduction: Alterations in river systems are inevitable and affect the environment. Rivers have played a very important role in creating and maintaining life on the earth since a long time ago. In other words, rivers are vital for sustaining life and ecosystems, providing essential freshwater for irrigation, drinking, and industry. However, human interventions including changes in land use patterns, construction near rivers, exploitation of water resources, and flood and storm management have significantly impacted on these crucial environmental systems. They can actually alter the spatial distribution and velocity of geomorphological processes such as sediment transport, erosion, and deposition, consequently leading to significant changes in river morphology. Therefore, assessing their morphological quality is important for their management and restoration. In this study, morphological assessment from the upstream to the midstream of the Talar River as a pilot has been conducted using the Morphological Quality Index (MQI) to evaluate the morphological status. Material and Methods: First, Talar River was divided into two landscape units, three segments and 23 reaches based on the hierarchical approach and according to the physiographic condition. Then, geomorphological functionality, artificial structure and Indicators of channel adjustment have been assessed by MQI which includes 28 parameters. Results and Discussion: The results obtained from 28 MQI parameters in 23 reaches showed that about 15% of the reaches have a "good" condition; almost 35% have a "moderate" condition, and more than 50% have "poor" and "very poor" conditions. Based on the assessment along the Talar river, the areas that are in the urban area due to the large amount of agriculture, urban development and road crossing have poor and very poor morphological quality class, and the areas that are in the forest area are natural and have good morphological quality. Also, the results of the assessment indicate that the average quality class of the investigated reaches is in "moderate" conditions. Conclusion: The results show that most reaches of Talar River requires urgent measures for its restoration. In addition, although the MQI method can be appropriate and effective tool in diagnosing hydromorphological challenges. However, it is not still enough for an integrated management and restoration, and it should be integrated with other indices regarding human pressures i.e. water quality, hydrological and biological pressures. Introduction: Alterations in river systems are inevitable and affect the environment. Rivers have played a very important role in creating and maintaining life on the earth since a long time ago. In other words, rivers are vital for sustaining life and ecosystems, providing essential freshwater for irrigation, drinking, and industry. However, human interventions including changes in land use patterns, construction near rivers, exploitation of water resources, and flood and storm management have significantly impacted on these crucial environmental systems. They can actually alter the spatial distribution and velocity of geomorphological processes such as sediment transport, erosion, and deposition, consequently leading to significant changes in river morphology. Therefore, assessing their morphological quality is important for their management and restoration. In this study, morphological assessment from the upstream to the midstream of the Talar River as a pilot has been conducted using the Morphological Quality Index (MQI) to evaluate the morphological status. Material and Methods: First, Talar River was divided into two landscape units, three segments and 23 reaches based on the hierarchical approach and according to the physiographic condition. Then, geomorphological functionality, artificial structure and Indicators of channel adjustment have been assessed by MQI which includes 28 parameters. Results and Discussion: The results obtained from 28 MQI parameters in 23 reaches showed that about 15% of the reaches have a "good" condition; almost 35% have a "moderate" condition, and more than 50% have "poor" and "very poor" conditions. Based on the assessment along the Talar river, the areas that are in the urban area due to the large amount of agriculture, urban development and road crossing have poor and very poor morphological quality class, and the areas that are in the forest area are natural and have good morphological quality. Also, the results of the assessment indicate that the average quality class of the investigated reaches is in "moderate" conditions. Conclusion: The results show that most reaches of Talar River requires urgent measures for its restoration. In addition, although the MQI method can be appropriate and effective tool in diagnosing hydromorphological challenges. However, it is not still enough for an integrated management and restoration, and it should be integrated with other indices regarding human pressures i.e. water quality, hydrological and biological pressures.

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