Form and process based geomorphic classification and mapping of a meandering river using satellite remote sensing data

The Rapti River system in India was chosen for geomorphic classification and mapping based on form and process using modern techniques such as satellite remote sensing data, digital elevation model data, survey of India topographical maps, and GIS. High-resolution satellite remote sensing data and GIS have delivered extremely precise and complicated information about rivers, with a focus on fluvial geomorphic features/units. For form- and process-based geomorphic classification, more than 100 research articles were critically assessed. Various geomorphologists have attempted to map the river based on form and process; however, many of them mapped the river based on their own ideas; some geomorphic features are commonly mapped, but some geomorphic features are mapped differently; that is, the geomorphic features are the same, but the names are different. These investigations yielded a total of 57 distinct geomorphic classifications, which were divided into four categories: Rosgen classification system, river styles framework, natural channel classification, and statistical classification. We employed a 1:2000 mapping scale to identify numerous in-channel and out-of-channel geomorphic structures at the micro-level for this investigation. Visual image interpretation identified a total of 44 specific morphology features, with 21 specific morphology features identified in “out-of-channel (active floodplain),” 5 specific morphology features identified in “out-of-channel inactive floodplain (terrace),” and 18 specific morphology features identified in “in-channel.”. © 2021, Saudi Society for Geosciences.