Use of hydrogeomorphic indexes in SAGA-GIS for the characterization of flooded areas in Madre de Dios, Peru

Abstract

The work aims to identify and cartographically represent sensitive areas (scenarios) to river flooding in the lower section of the Madre de Dios hydrographic unit in the Peruvian Amazon, from the use of digital terrain models (DTM) and System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses (SAGA-GIS) free software, in version 2.2.5. It was produced a DTM with cells of 30 x 30 m hydrologically corrected, obtaining different maps of geomorphological factor (vertical distance from the drainage network and closed depressions) and hydrological factor (surface runoff, topographic wetness index, and modified catchment area). Integrating all this information the contrast index map was obtained, which once reclassified, allowed the spatial delineation of the flood scenarios and their categories of susceptibility.