Morphometric Analysis of Wadi Kaja Basin in West Darfur State, Sudan, Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the morphometric characteristics of Wadi Kaja Basin in West Darfur State by addressing key questions related to the nature of these characteristics, the properties of the drainage network, and their relationship with geomorphological processes, as well as evaluating the role of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in such analyses. The significance of the study lies in highlighting the importance of morphometric analysis in understanding basin evolution and supporting environmental planning, water resource management, and flood risk mitigation.

The study adopts both descriptive and quantitative analytical approaches using GIS and remote sensing techniques. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) with a spatial resolution of 30 m was utilized to extract the drainage network and basin boundaries and to calculate various morphometric parameters.

The results indicate that the basin is characterized by a large area (8211.18 km²) and a length of 136.47 km, with an elongated shape that contributes to reducing flood peaks. The relief ratio is low (0.003), reflecting a relatively low terrain gradient and weak topographic variation. The hypsometric integral value (79.5%) reveals that the basin is in an advanced youthful stage, dominated by vertical erosion. Additionally, the basin shows low drainage density (0.15 km/km²) and a moderate bifurcation ratio (4.77), indicating a sparse drainage network and prevailing semi-arid conditions.

These findings confirm the effectiveness of GIS techniques in morphometric analysis and their significant role in supporting applied geomorphological studies.