Application of hydromorphometric parameterization and ASTER DEM to characterize hydrological indicators in the Musandam Peninsula, UAE and Oman

Abstract

This paper investigates the use of hydromorphometric parameters and new maps and classification of landforms to characterize hydrological forms over the regional scale. This methodology was applied on a very large fractured carbonate aquifer located in the Musandam Peninsula, UAE and Oman. These hydrological forms are drainage basins, drainage network and flow accumulation, and transit and dissipation zones. These forms match in physical entities and are of real importance. Bivariate quadratic surfaces with moving window size of 3 × 3 were fitted to the DEM. The first derivative, slope steepness, and the second derivatives, minimum and maximum curvatures, were calculated as hydromorphometric parameters used to map and characterize hydrological forms at multiscale level. These, however, can be plotted into graphs of characterization and classification that comprise hydromorphometric signatures. The Landsat images, groundwater wells distribution, and spatial analysis of hydromorphometric parameter signatures allowed the assignment of the obtained results. The results revealed that this approach allowed a quick mapping and estimation of the spatial distribution of hydromorphometric parameters in a highly fractured karst regional aquifer.