A GIS-based approach in the morphometric analysis of incised meanders on the Dnister River (Ukraine)

This study aims to show the possibility of using GIS modelling of several basic morphometric indicators for assessing the relief, ravine and gully network of the certain territory, particularly Podillia Upland (Ukraine), and the preconditions for the development of erosion processes. The Horoshovetsky meandering node on the Dnister River (Ukraine) is a unique work of nature that requires substantive, additional and specific geomorphological research, which will help to establish certain patterns of their origin. During the study, the main morphometric maps were constructed for a more detailed relief assessment: vertical (interfluvial dimension) dissection, horizontal (amplitude altimetry) dissection, slope angle, slope aspect. Morphometric indicators are unevenly distributed throughout the territory. The main feature of this relief is its significant vertical and horizontal dissection in the Dnister River valley and its tributaries. The regularity of the channel processes distribution and the scale of the river’s incision into rocks are clearly visible. A characteristic feature is the spread of linear landforms, which are very clearly cut by tributaries of the Dnister. Morphometric indicators of the study area clearly demonstrate the full range of complex tectonic and geological interaction of geological and geomorphological processes, which ultimately led to the emergence of various landforms, especially polygenetic incised meanders.