Small island watershed morphometric and hydrological characteristics in Ambon Region, Maluku Province

Abstract

With a relatively limited catchment area, the small island has special hydrological conditions. The hydro-morphometric approach of a watershed is essential for tracking and analyzing seasonal changes in small island watersheds’ hydrological characteristics. It is crucial to incorporate the hydrological elements of small islands, both geographically, ecologically, socio-culturally, and economically. Therefore, this study seeks to examine the morphometric and hydrological characteristics of small island watersheds in the Ambon Region, Maluku province. A geographic information system and the BFI + 3.0 digital recursive filtering method (RDF) are used in the research method. The findings showed that drainage density, bifurcation ratio, and bifurcation ratio significantly impacted water systems for watersheds, flood vulnerability, and river beds storage. Good drainage (Dd greater than 1–5) is included in drainage density. With very high flood levels and short recession periods, a riverbank ratio of less than 1 suggests rare watershed circumstances. This condition appears to have an increased vulnerability to flooding, marked by high runoff but low penetration and permeability. The bifurcation ratio shows that showing high peak discharge (Qp) and increasing times and rapid recession times, the watershed form appears to be rounded.