Determination of basin characteristics by using geographical information systems (GIS)

Abstract

Climate change, population growth, and economic development will significantly affect the availability of water resources for agriculture in different regions. It is estimated that this effect will occur as a decrease in rainfall and an increase in drought in the Thrace region. To produce the sufficient amount of food which will be demanded by the increasing population, inadequate water resources must be used more efficiently. In this study, the Watershed Modelling System (WMS) version 7.1 was used for the delineation of boundaries of Topcu sub-basin of the Ergene river basin located in the Thrace region of Turkey. Digital elevation model (DEM) which has been obtained from Aster satellite for the year 2007 was used for extracting drainage networks and watershed delineation. Typical properties like drainage areas, characteristic length and slope of sub-drainage areas have also been determined. The largest sub-basin area is 121.8 km(2) while the smallest sub-basin area is 4.7 km(2). These parameters have been stored to use for later hydrological analyses.