Classification of Headwater Catchments in the Little River Watershed, Tennessee

Phillips, Charles

Headwater catchments are dynamic environments where the stream system and the surrounding land surface are closely connected. Recently, Lafrenz (UT Geography) developed a process-oriented watershed classification that coupled Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with field observations to classify headwater catchments in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). The objective of the research presented here is to extend and further test the Lafrenz classification by applying it in a nearby watershed with a greater variety of land use, geology, and topography. I chose the Little River Watershed (611 km2) for this study because it contains a portion of the relatively pristine GSMNP, which was part of the Lafrenz study area, but also extends into the agricultural, residential, commercial, and urban lands of the Valley and Ridge. This classification scheme is a two step process. The first step of this process was conducted in a GIS using a 10m digital elevation model to delineate the headwater catchments. Once the headwater catchments are delineated, the percentage of land use, geology, circularity, mean elevation, mean slope, and resultant aspect were calculated and used to group catchments. Results of this “top-down” classification are shown in this poster. The second step of this classification, which will be completed in the coming months, will use bankfull width, bankfull depth, median particle size, stored sediment, velocity, pH, and temperature metrics of headwater streams to group the headwater catchments from the “bottom-up.” Finally, the two methods will be compared to see how well the GIS classification represents field observations. A classification of this type will allow governments and organizations to effectively use their resources to improve conditions within a watershed.