JWSS - Journal of Water and Soil Science

In this study, the discharge coefficient of sharp-crested weirs located on circular channels was modeled using the ANFIS and ANFIS-Firefly (ANFIS-FA) algorithm. Also, the Monte Carlo simulations (MCs) were used to enhance the compatibilities of the soft computing models. However, the k-fold cross validation method (k=5) was used to validate the numerical models. According to the input parameters, four models of ANFIS and ANFIS-FA were introduced. Analyzing the numerical results showed that the superior model simulated the discharge coefficient as a function of the Froude number (Fr) and the ratio of flow depth over weir crest to the weir crest height) h/P(. The values of the mean absolute relative error (MARE), root mean square error (RMSE) and correlation coefficient (R) for the superior model were calculated 0.001, 0.002 and 0.999, respectively. However, the maximum error value for this study was less than 2%. 

The present study was intended to improve the chemical properties of a saline-sodic soil using the individual application of alfalfa residue and two biochars produced from sugarcane bagasse and walnut shell, at the weighting ratio of 5%; their concomitant application with gypsum, aluminum sulfate and the mixture of these two chemical amendments was considered. The experiment was conducted in three replications using the factorial experiment in a completely randomized design. After four months of incubation, the soil samples were measured for their main chemical properties. The results showed that alfalfa residues were the most effective treatment to reduce the soil pH; so the concomitant application of this organic amendment with gypsum lowered the soil pH from 9.13 in the control (untreated soil) to 7.24. It was also observed that the addition of gypsum and/or aluminum sulfate to the soil led to the increase of the soil electrolyte concentration and consequently, the increase of soil electrical conductivity to three times greater than control, through an increase of ions, like calcium and sulfate in the soil solution. Increasing the soluble sodium concentration by replacing exchangeable sodium by other similar ions showed that the studied treatments enhanced the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), which could be regulated by washing. Concomitant application of the walnut-shell biochar with gypsum had the most increasing effect on the soil SAR, enhancing it from 22.6 in the control to 54.3. Potassium was released from organic amendments, improving the soil general conditions; addition of chemical amendments elevated soil exchangeable potassium contents; however, the elevated soil available phosphorus contents were less influenced by chemical amendments application. As the conclusion, it seems that the positive impacts of the applied chemical and organic amendments would supplement each other; as a result, the concurrent use of both treatments not only improves the bad soil chemical properties, but also enhances the soil fertility.

The scour around the bridge piers is one of the main causes of bridge failure and the extraction of aggregates may aggravate this phenomenon. The present study comprehensively investigated the scour around the groups of bridge piers in the presence of aggregate extraction pits, using different discharges. The bridge piers roughened by gravel had been compared with the simple bridge piers; so, the results showed that the roughening caused the reduction of the scour depth. Scour depth change rate led to an increase in the equilibrium time. The results also showed that the reduction of the scour depth at the downstream groups of piers was more than that in the upstream. For the lowest discharge, the aggregate extraction pits had a considerable effect on the scour depth difference for the groups of piers in the downstream and upstream. On the other hand, the effects were decreased when the rate of discharge was increased. The experimental results obtained by the rough surface models showed that as the discharge was increased, the local scour was increased too; at the same time, the bed profile was posed at the low level. Generally, the scour depth of the groups of piers in the downstream of the extraction pit was more than that in the upstream. The results of the current research, therefore, demonstrated that the surface of the bridge pier roughened by gravel reduced the scour depth.

Compost leachate is a liquid resulting from physical, chemical and biological decomposition of organic materials. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of leachate compost on the physical, hydraulic and soil moisture characteristic curves. Also, the effect of leachate on the aerial organ fresh weight of corn was investigated. Leachate was added to clay loam and sandy clay loam soils at the rate of zero, 1.25 and 2.5 weight percent. The soil water characteristic curve and the estimation of the parameters of the van Gnuchten and Brooks and Corey models were performed using RETC software. Leachate increased the bulk density and decreased the available water of the clay loam soil. Only 1.25% of the leachate increased the available water in the sandy clay loam soil. Two levels of leachate decreased the bulk density of sandy clay loam soil. Leachate decreased the saturation hydraulic conductivity of the clay loam and increased this parameter of sandy clay loam soil. Leachate was more successful in increasing the aerial organ fresh weight of corn in the sandy clay loam soil. Therefore, leachate was more useful in sandy clay loam than in clay loam soil, and 1.25% treatment was better in the sandy clay loam soil. Also, the used leachate increased the repellency of both soils. Leachate caused the parameters of van Gnuchten and Brooks and Corey models to increase, as compared to the control in both soils.  

Nowadays, the prediction of river discharge is one of the important issues in hydrology and water resources; the results of daily river discharge pattern could be used in the management of water resources and hydraulic structures and flood prediction. In this research, Gene Expression Programming (GEP), parametric Linear Regression (LR), parametric Nonlinear Regression (NLR) and non-parametric K- Nearest Neighbor (K-NN) were used to predict the average daily discharge of Karun River in Mollasani hydrometric station for the statistical period of 1967-2017. Different combinations of the recorded data were used as the input pattern to predict the mean daily river discharge. The obtained esults  indicated that GEP, with R²= 0.827, RMSE= 59.45 and MAE= 26.64, had a  better performance, as compared to LR, NLR and K-NN methods, at the  validation stage for daily Karun River discharge prediction with 5-day lag, at the Mollasani station. Also, the performance of the models in the maximum discharge prediction showed that all models underestimated the flow discharge in most cases. 

The combination of a labyrinth weir with an orifice is a proper solution for floating material to pass over the weir and transfer sediment through the orifice. Additionally, creating a slot in the overflow wing leads to higher discharge. This study examined four discharges (5, 10, 15, and 20 liters per second) with channel width and height of 30 and 40 cm in trapezoidal-orifice, square-orifice, and triangular-orifice labyrinth weirs in the laboratory and using Flow3D with RNG k-epsilon (k-ε) turbulence model, the results were compared with one another. Comparing the discharge flow over weirs and measuring the discharge coefficient among the mentioned models showed that the triangular-orifice labyrinth weir had the highest discharge rate. Moreover, the increased Ht/P ratio (Ht represents total hydraulic head; P denotes weir height) for all models resulted in the increased discharge coefficient. Due to the efficiency of this type of weirs, the highest discharge coefficient was obtained at low Ht/P ratios. At lower ratios, since there was free flow, the coefficient of weir discharge increased, and as the ratio increased, the weir was partially submerged. Furthermore, for the weir design, the best Ht/P ratio was between 0.13 to 0.41, and the maximum discharge coefficient (Cd = 1.2) was within this range.

One of the crucial problems that exist in the irrigation networks is the fluctuation of the water surface flow in the main channel and changes in the flow rate of the intake structure. One of the effective methods to decrease these fluctuations is increasing the weir crest length at the given width of the channel with the use of the labyrinth weirs can be achieved for this purpose. The labyrinth weir is the same linear weir that is seen as broken in the plan view. In this study, a labyrinth weir with a length of 3.72 m, three different heights of 15, 17, and 20 cm, three different shapes of dentate (rectangular, triangular, and trapezoidal), and a linear weir were used in a recirculating flume with 15 m length and 1 m width. The result showed that for a given length and height of weir, with the increasing of the upstream water head to the weir height ratio (), the discharge coefficient decreases. The results showed that by increasing weir height, the discharge coefficient decreases for a given length of the weir. Linear weir and labyrinth weir without dentate create more water depth at the upstream by 3.3 and 1.2 fold compared with dentate labyrinth weir.

Reducing surface water resources and successive droughts and consequently excessive use of groundwater resources, especially for agricultural purposes, have caused irreparable damage to the natural resources of the country. In the meantime, knowing the status of the water balance of the plain can help to effective management of water resources in the region. Samalqan plain is located in a semi-arid climate in North Khorasan Province. Since the surface water resources for water supply are not very reliable, so, the main source of water supply in the region is well. Due to the existence of rivers in the plain, the low thickness of the alluvium, groundwater level fluctuations, and the high uncertainty in the calculation of hydrodynamic coefficients, the need for careful hydrogeological studies and determining the role of each parameter affecting groundwater is necessary. This study was conducted to simulate the Samalqan aquifer and analysis of water balance for the years 2003 to 2013 using the MODFLOW model. To identify the groundwater recharge rate, this component was estimated by the SWAT model. Calibration and validation of the model with an error of 1.1% and 1.2%, respectively, indicated that an appropriate estimation between the simulated and observed heads. Assessment of the groundwater hydrograph in the observation wells showed that the groundwater level in most places has many monthly and seasonal fluctuations. After drawing the potential lines of the plain, the inputs and outputs were identified, and using the reserve volume changes, the water balance was determined. The results showed that the water balance of the plain was negative and the reservoir deficit was estimated at 9.14 million cubic meters. Therefore, this model can be used to predict the future situation of aquifer and the management of water resources in the region.

Biochar as an efficient strategy for the improvement of soil properties and organic waste management may reduce the potential effects of abiotic stresses and increase soil fertility. However, the effects of this organic amendment on soil microbial indicators under combined salinity and pollution have not been studied yet. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of sugarcane bagasse biochar on some soil bioindicators in a Cd-polluted soil under saline and non-saline conditions. A factorial experiment was carried out with two factors, including NaCl salinity (control, 20 and 40 mM NaCl) and sugarcane bagasse biochar (soils unamended with biochar, amended with uncharred bagasse, 400 ^oC biochar, and 600 ^oC) at 1% (w/w) using a completely randomized design. Results showed that salinity increased the mobility of Cd (12-17%), and subsequently augmented its toxicity to soil microorganisms as indicated by significant decreases in the abundance and activities of the soil microbial community. Conversely, sugarcane bagasse biochar application reduced the concentration of soil available Cd (14-18%), increased the contents of soil organic carbon (89-127%), and dissolved organic carbon (4-70%), and consequently alleviated the effect of both abiotic stresses on soil microbial community and enzyme activity. In conclusion, this experiment demonstrated that the application of sugarcane bagasse biochar could reduce the salinity-induced increases in available Cd and mitigate the interaction between salinity and Cd pollution on the measured soil bioindicators.

One of the significant factors affecting biochar properties is the pyrolysis temperature. This study aimed to investigate the effect of pyrolysis temperature on the properties and fractionation of Zn and Pb in biochars produced by sewage sludge. Biochars were prepared at temperatures of 300 to 700 °C and the physicochemical properties, availability, and fractionation of Zn and Pb were investigated. The results showed that pH, pHzpc, percentage of calcium carbonate, cation exchange capacity, specific surface area, and porosity in biochars were higher than in the feedstock. By increasing biochar production temperature, the mentioned properties increased. FT-IR revealed that the OH functional group is present in free form, either in the structure of C-OH and -COOH and aliphatic-CH2 groups in the sewage sludge. By converting sewage sludge to biochar, the intensity of these peaks decreased. In contrast, peaks representing complex aromatic structures appeared. The availability of Zn and Pb in biochar was reduced as compared to sewage sludge. The results of fractionation indicated that sewage sludge has bio-availability and toxicity of Pb and Zn. the amount of oxide and residual fractions of these two metals increased by converting sewage sludge to biochar at different temperatures. Therefore, it seems that biochar production from sewage sludge reduces the toxicity and bio-availability of Zn and Pb. Also, by incrementing the temperature of production, the bio-availability potential (bonding with organic matter), and non-toxicity (residual) of these metals increased.

A compound sharp-crested weir is often used to measure a wide range of flows with appropriate accuracy in open channels. In this study, experiments were performed to investigate the hydraulic flow through a compound weir of circular-rectangular with changes in hydraulic and geometric parameters in free and submerged flow conditions. The characteristics of the weirs include rectangular spans width of 39 cm, a circular radius of 5, 7.5, and 12.5 cm, and heights of 10 and 15 cm. The results showed that by increasing the radius and height of the Weir, upstream water depth increases around 28.4%. At a constant h/p, the discharge coefficient increases with the increasing radius of the circular arc. Also, in the submerged conditions, the discharge coefficient is less (around 40%) than in the free flow condition, which is due to the resistance of the depth of the created stream against the passage of the flow.

Low organic matter content and alkaline pH of calcareous soils in arid and semi-arid regions are the main reasons for the low nutrient availabilities for plants in these soils. One way to improve the chemical properties and fertility of calcareous soils is the application of organic substances such as biochar produced from pyrolysis of organic wastes. However, biochars have an almost predominant alkaline pH, which exacerbates plant nutrient deficiencies in calcareous soils when used for a long time. Pyrolysis of some organic wastes under controlled temperature conditions can lead to the production of acidic biochar. The effect of acidic biochars on several chemical properties of two calcareous soils in Isfahan province was investigated in the present study. Treatments included two types of biochar (pine cone and rice husk), three levels of biochar addition (one, three, and six percent), two types of soil (a sandy loam (Tiran) and a clay loam (Lavark)), and two incubation periods (one and six months). The results showed that applying biochar could slightly decrease soil pH but raised soil electrical conductivity. In addition, the amount of organic carbon, total nitrogen, and available concentration of manganese in all treatments and the concentrations of available phosphorus, potassium, iron, zinc, and copper in the most of treatments showed a significant increase compared to the control. Amending soil with biochar at a 6% rate caused the most significant changes in the measured parameters in both soil types. In general, the results of this study indicated that acidic biochar produced from pine cones and rice husk can be used as a suitable conditioner to improve the chemical properties and fertility of calcareous soils.

can provide useful information about P adsorption and the factors affecting it. A batch experiment was performed with phosphorus concentrations (0 to 35 mg/L) in two soils with different electrical conductivity (EC) (2 and 15 dSm^-1) by a variety of biochar treatments including simple apple-grape biochar (BC), rock phosphate- biochar (BC-RP), enriched-biochar (BC-H₃PO₄-RP), enriched-biochar (BC-HCl-RP), triple superphosphate (TSP), and control (Cont). The results indicated that phosphorus sorption capacity varied between the soils. Biochar treatments were effective in reducing the phosphorus adsorption of both soils. Due to BC-H₃PO₄-RP and BC-HCl-RP treatments, the maximum phosphorus adsorption of soils decreased in S1 soil by 14 and 23 % and in S2 soil by 26 and 19%, respectively. Also, the use of these treatments decreased the parameters of Langmuir absorption intensity (K_L) of S1 soil to 0.085 and 0.066, respectively and S2 soil to 0.11 and 0.15, L/mg respectively, and Freundlich absorption capacity (K_F) of S1 soil decreased to 19.2 and 22.5 and S2 soil to 28.2 and 28.1 L/kg, respectively. Enriched biochars significantly reduced the buffering indices of both soils indicating phosphorus adsorption decreased and increased the availability of phosphorus for the plant. The standard phosphorus requirement of S2 soil was lower than S1 soil by both equations. Therefore, enriched biochar can be an effective strategy to increase phosphorus availability and reduce the use of chemical fertilizers in saline and non-saline conditions; however, more field studies are needed for a clear understanding of the potential of P-enriched biochar as a fertilizer alternative.

In addition to the distribution of elements in the soil solid phase, element species in the solution are also very important due to their importance of providing elements for root uptake. For a deeper study of the chemical cycle of elements in saline soils treated with biochar, the study of speciation is very useful and provides a method to reduce or transform the toxicity caused by toxic elements in saline soils. Therefore, to investigate the effect of biochar on Cd speciation in two saline calcareous soils, 15 mg kg^-1 Cd as cadmium chloride was added to the soil sample (200 g), and the soils were incubated for three weeks at 25±2 °C at 80% field capacity. After the incubation period, salinity levels of 20 and 40 mmol kg^-1 as sodium chloride (equal to 3.65 and 7.30 dS m^-1) were added to the soils. Then, the 1% (w/w) of the sugarcane bagasse and biochars produced at 400 and 600 °C were added to the soils, and then incubated for three months at 25±2 °C at 80% field capacity. At the end of the incubation period, for the speciation of Cd in the soil solution (in a 1 to 2 ratio), the concentration of dissolved cations and anions in the soil samples was measured. The results showed that the interaction between salinity, biochar, and soil on Cd²⁺, CdCl⁺, CdCl₂⁰, and Cd(SO₄)₂^2- was significant. The application of biochar in sandy soil reduced (p <0.05) the concentration of CdCl⁺, CdCl₂⁰, CdSO₄⁰, and CdOH⁺ species compared to the control soil, while it did not affect clay soil. Also, salinity caused by sodium chloride in sandy soil increased the concentration of CdCl⁺ and CdCl₂⁰ species and decreased CdSO₄⁰ and CdOH⁺ species compared to the control soil (p <0.05). The results showed that biochar in saline sandy soil was more effective than clay soil in reducing Cd toxicity.