Spatiotemporal Channel Dynamics of the Upper Padma: Exploring a Major River of Bangladesh Using Satellite Imagery

River channel dynamics are natural occurrences in fluvial systems with influences from human modifications and climatic factors. How a river responds to various natural occurrences and human interference is critical to sound river management. Significant historical channel changes of many rivers have been detected using satellite imagery as well as remote sensing tools. This chapter deals with the morphodynamic features of the Padma River, one of the three major rivers of Bangladesh. The current chapter solely focuses on a portion of the upper Padma River, starting from the Shibganj subdistrict of Chapainawabganj district, where the Ganges River enters Bangladesh as the Padma, to T-badh, a T-shaped embankment in Rajshahi city. Understanding the changes occurring in the river and its responses to the various drivers of such changes is vital for improving the lifestyles of the channel barsChannel bar and bank dwellers. Spatiotemporal channel dynamics of the upper Padma were analyzed using eight multispectral and multitemporal Landsat satellite images from 1975 to 2023. Changes in island area percentage, sinuosity ratio, braided indexBraided index, channel migration, and erosion–deposition rates were analyzed. Results from this 48-year study suggest that the island area percentage is increasing, sinuosity has decreased in the recent few years, and the braided indexBraided index is increasing. The channel migration rate is increasing in both banks but mostly toward the southern banks in the middle reaches where the erosion rate is higher. Extensive mid-channel deposition in recent years led to the formation of many new channel barsChannel bar. Excessive erosion in the southern bank lines and the formation of islands due to extensive deposition are the main reasons for the river’s channel instability. However, erosion is less prominent on the northern banks of the river due to several embankments and other hard points.