Estimation of Geomorphological Parameters of Lower Zab River-Basin by Using GIS-Based Remotely Sensed Image

The Lower Zab watershed is one of the most important catchment areas in the northern region of Iraq, as it includes large dam which is called Dukan Dam. Besides this, there are four other catchment areas, which are the Greater Zab (Upper Zab), Diyala, Khabur, and Uzem. During the last few decades like the other places in the world, the northern region of Iraq has been severely affected by the climatic changes, long-term drought, water shortage and some casual flood events. The former has impacted negatively on the wide range of areas in the region and continues to be a problem. However, the latter occasionally occurs during the winter season as a result of heavy rainfall and the lack of the required dams and artificial drainage. Both problems cause socio-economic damage in the region. This paper seeks to enhance water-based information in the region under study using the technique of GIS-based remotely sensed image that give us more accurate results and less time consuming to process data comparing with the GIS-based Topographic Maps (GTMs). This modern technique provides powerful and cost-effective tools for managing and processing data and creating maps for water resources. This would enable hydrologists and researchers to get better access to high quality hydrologic data. Thus, an accurate gemorphological parameters for watersheds and catchments can be calculated. Accordingly, more accurate hydraulic structures can be designed for the region under study.