Geomorphic control on wetland classification: a case study in Himalayan Floodplain region
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Geomorphic control on wetland classification: a case study in Himalayan Floodplain region Priyanka Kundu1
Received: 17 May 2020 / Revised: 27 September 2020 / Accepted: 6 October 2020 Korean Spatial Information Society 2020
Abstract Wetland classification is the primary tool to identify and determine wetland landscapes, but it seems to be very difficult as wetlands are the transitional zone between aquatic boundary and terrestrial boundary. Wetlands are also found in different hydroclimatic and topographic settings. Recently ecological wetland classification focuses on hydrogeomorphic unit to know the physical background of the wetland. In most of the cases, the topographic terms like slopes, flats have been given more importance than the geomorphological terms like ox-bow, floodplain. Floodplain wetlands in the Himalayan foothill region are very dynamic in nature. In Tufanganj C.D Blocks of Coochbehar district, many floodplain wetlands are evolved in the form of ox-bow lakes, meander scrolls and paleochannels. These wetland landform adjustments have been taking place as a result of spatio-temporal changes of rivers. The study focuses on the process–landform relationships and timescales of landform adjustments which is helpful for further wetland classification and management. In collaboration with both the participation of geomorphology community in wetland science and awareness by ecology community, characterizing wetlands as dynamic landscapes will be more eminent for wetland research and management. Keywords Floodplain wetland Geomorphological adjustment Wetland classification Wetland landscape
& Priyanka Kundu [email protected] 1
Department of Geography, Raiganj University, North Dinajpur, West Bengal 733134, India
1 Introduction Wetlands, a vital landscape for human livelihood and wellbeing are the example of the production of the natural environment with the intersection of the atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere [1]. All wetlands are the results of topographic settings and water balance with complex sets of hydrological processes, groundwater discharge and underlying geology [2]. A good number of valuable and innovative researches have been made to classify and identify wetlands [3, 4]. A collective term, Wetland in drylands (WiDs) includes floodplain,1 shallow lakes, marshes,2 swamps3 which occurs in different topographies as well as encompasses various forms in different hydro-climatic settings. The floodplain consists of either permanent or temporary water bodies along with rivers that constantly shift their beds especially in the meander migration belt [5]. Floodplains are generally the product of lateral accretion and the frequency of channel migration depends on the number of variables such as slope, duration of precipitation over the catchment area, frequency of flood, flow velocity, texture and lithology of soil, tectonic status and so on [6, 7]. Wetland classification is the basis for wetland conservation and management at the holistic level on national, regional and in
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