• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.179-193
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• 2021

This study examines the use of satellite images for river classification and determination of stream reach, which is the first priority in the river environment assessment system. In the river environment assessment system used in South Korea, it is proposed to set a stream reach by using 10 or 25 times the width of the river based on the result of river classification. First, river classification for the main stream section of Cheongmi stream was performed using various river-related data. The maximum likelihood method was applied for land cover classification. In this study, Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, which is an open data technology with a resolution of 10 m, was used. A total of four satellite images from 2018 was used to consider various flow conditions: February 2 (daily discharge = 2.39 m³/s), May 23 (daily discharge = 15.51 m³/s), June 2 (daily discharge = 3.88 m³/s), and July 7 (daily discharge = 33.61 m³/s). The river widths were estimated from the result of land cover classification to determine stream reach. The results of the assessment reach classification were evaluated using indicators of stream physical environments, including pool diversity, channel sinuosity, and river crossing shape and structure. It is concluded that appropriate flow conditions need to be considered when using satellite images to set up assessment segments for the river environment assessment system.