Basin-Morph (MATLAB tool) for basin morphometric characterization along the tectonically active Shillong Plateau front, India

The morphometric analysis of drainage basins provides a quantitative description of the drainage networks. The accuracy of a morphometric analysis depends on the resolution of digital elevation models (DEMs) and estimation technique. We present an efficient MATLAB tool ‘Basin-Morph’ to estimate various morphometric parameters of a drainage basin, which minimizes redundant steps and extensive calculations as in GIS-based applications. The ‘Basin-Morph’ is applied for the morphometric parameter estimations on four DEMs of varying spatial resolutions to demonstrate their consistency in characterizing thirteen fourth–fifth-order drainage basins along the tectonically active Shillong plateau front. The Pearson correlation coefficient of morphometric parameters is calculated and correlated across catchments that compare well with the lateral variation in tectonic setup along the plateau front. The areal, linear, and relief parameters show distinct trends across the varying tectono-climatic setup and provide primary landscape characterization criteria.