Journal of Marine Science and Technology

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

Evaluation and Interpretation of the Hydromorphological Conditions of the Tajan River using the RHAT Technique

Document Type : Original Manuscript

Authors
Mahdiyeh Bagheri 1
Mohsen Masoudian 2, 1
Ali Afrous 3
1 Department of Civil Engineering, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran.
2 Department of Water Engineering, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University (SANRU), Sari, Iran.
3 Department of Water Engineering, Dezful Branch, Islamic Azad University, Dezful, Iran.
10.22113/jmst.2023.398632.2532
Abstract
Abstract
Tajan river in Sari city, as one of the most important rivers in Mazandaran province, due to the growth of population and the expansion of urbanization, has experienced an increase in urban land use change, especially in the riverside areas. Therefore, in order to improve the security of the residents of the riverside, to provide the human need to benefit from the natural space of the riverside to reduce the stress of life, and to carry out improvement activities in the corridor of this river in the city, it is expanding day by day. In this research, in order to prove the unstable condition of the Tajan river and emphasize the need to reduce the pressure on this vital resource, with the help of remote sensing and information extracted from the Landsat satellite image, Google Earth Pro software, aerial photographs of 1966, data The field and RHAT technique were used to investigate and evaluate the hydromorphological situation in the area of one kilometer upstream of the railway bridge (including two 500-meter reach). So that by developing the RHAT technique to a new scoring method; It was possible to compare all the indexes in the studied reaches. The results showed that although in terms of WFD class, both reaches are in average condition with hydromorphological scores of 0.54 and 0.59, respectively. But the indexes related to the characteristics of the river channel have a similar situation in both reaches. Also, the variety and condition of the bed, the condition of the bank and its stability, including the connection of the river channel with the floodplain in the lower reaches, have more favorable conditions. On the other hand, due to the change in land use along the river and the increase in intensity and concentration of services due to the construction of urban infrastructures in the downstream areas, index 7 in the downstream urban areas will have a more unfavorable situation than in the upstream areas. Therefore, stopping the development of human interventions and carrying out revitalization measures in this area are among the necessities of preserving this source of available fresh water.
1. INTRODUCTION
The term hydromorphology was introduced by WFD to describe the characteristics and physical processes of the river and to determine the state of the river ecosystem. So that the main elements that indicate the hydromorphological quality of the river include the hydrological regime, the continuity of the river and the morphological conditions; And the hydromorphological assessment process means the assessment and classification of hydrological and geomorphological flow conditions (Licciardello et al., 2021; Raven et al., 2002). Following the introduction and development of this concept as a human framework linking hydrology and geomorphology, several methods were proposed to assess water bodyes (Vaughan et al., 2009; Newson, 2022). Different methods of assessing the hydromorphological condition of the river are mostly focused on one or more vital factors. Most of these methods use indicators that are critical components of integrated river ecology assessment to express quantitative assessments of habitat quality, hydrology or morphology (Gündüz and Şimşek, 2021). In other words; The process of hydromorphological assessment means describing hydromorphological conditions using developed methods and finally classifying the condition of the water body (Rinaldi et al., 2013; Rabanaque et al., 2022).
 
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
In this study, three categories of data include: 1) remote sensing data including satellite images extracted from Landsat satellite and Google Earth Pro software and aerial photograph of the study area in 1345; 2) field data including field observations and photography; 3) RHAT technique; was used. Figure 2 shows the steps of research.
 
3. RESULTS
The attributes related to the characteristics of the river channel have a similar situation in both reaches. The diversity and substrate condition are better in the lower reaches. Also, the condition of the bank and its stability, including the connection of the river channel with the floodplain in the downstream reaches, have more favorable conditions. On the other hand, due to the change in riparian land use and the increase in intensity and concentration of services due to the construction of urban infrastructure in the lower reaches, attribute 7 in the lower urban reaches will have a more unfavorable situation than the upper reaches.
 
4. CONCLUSION
According to Table 2; Although the sum of attributes scores in the first reach was lower than the sum of attributes scores in the second reach, but in terms of the WFD class, both reaches are in a moderate status. These results are consistent with the research results of Fendereski et al. (2022) on Tajan River, which was carried out by the HMQI method, is consistent. This is a proof of the accuracy of the results obtained in this research.
 
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Keywords
Tajan river
hydromorphological assessment
EU-WFD Directive
RHAT technique
ecological status of the river

Subjects

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Journal of Marine Science and Technology
Volume 24, Issue 1
Winter 2025
Pages 60-85

  • Receive Date 30 May 2023
  • Revise Date 04 July 2023
  • Accept Date 02 August 2023
  • Publish Date 21 March 2025