JWSS - Journal of Water and Soil Science

In this study, in order to analyze the trends of annual precipitation, the information from 21 synoptic meteorological stations located in the Urmia Lake basin in a 30-year time period (1986-2015) was used. For this purpose, the Sequential Mann-Kendall test was used. The date of sudden change (if exist) in the precipitation time series of each station was identified. Significance of the trend in each of the time series and its direction (decrease or increase) in each of the stations were tested at 0.05 level. The results showed that 10 out of the 21 stations had a significant decreasing trend. Three stations (Sarab, Bostanabad and Sardasht) had significant increasing trends. Precipitation trends of eight stations were insignificant. Also, the study of sudden breaking points in the annual rainfall time series of the selected stations revealed that about 57.143 percent of the stations (12 stations) showed a significant sudden change in their annual rainfall series. In other words, more than half of the selected stations exhibited a   sudden change in their time series. The date of the sudden change of precipitation in eight stations (namely, Bonab, Sarab, Urmia, Oshnavieh, Kahrizi, Miyandoab, Bokan and Saghez) belonged to the middle part of the time series (i.e. 1996-2005). The sudden change date  of t hree stations (namely, Sardasht, Nagade and Tekab) belonged to the first decade of time series (i.e. 1986-1995) and only the sudden change date of  one station (namely, Maragheh) belonged to the last decade of time series (i.e. 2006-2015).

In the present study, we used 27 precipitation average monthly data from synoptic, climatologic, rain-guage and evaporative stations located in Zayandeh-Rud river basin for the period of 1970-2014. Before interpolating, the missing data in the time series of each station was reconstructed by the normal ratio method. Also, for the data quality control, the Dickey-Fuller and Shapiro-Wilk tests were used to check the data stationarity and normality. Then, these data were interpolated by six interpolation methods including   Inverse Distance Weighting, Natural Neighbor, Tension Spline, Regularized Spline, Ordinary Kriging and Universal Kriging; then each method was evaluated using the cross-validation technique with MAE, MBE and RMSE indices. The results showed that among the spatial interpolation methods, Natural Neighbor method with MAE of 0.24 had the best performance for interpolating precipitation among all of the methods. Also, among Ordinary Kriging, Universal Kriging, Spline and Inverse Distance Weighting methods, respectively, Exponential Kriging with MAE 0.54, Quadratic Drift Kriging with MAE of 0.5, Tension Spline with the MAE of 0.54 and Inverse Distance Weighting with the power of 4 with MAE of 0.57 had the least error compared to other IDW methods.

In this study, drought characteristics of Arak, Bandar Anzali, Tabriz, Tehran, Rasht, Zahedan, Shiraz and Kerman stations during the statistical period of 1956 to 2015 were studied by Reconnaissance Drought Index (RDI) and Standardized Precipitation Index. Precipitation and temperature data were needed to calculate RDI. Precipitation data was also required to estimate SPI. In this study, Drinc software was used to calculate RDI, SPI and potential evapotranspiration (PET). The software calculated PET by the Thornthwaite method. One of the main challenges in drought monitoring is to determine the indicator that has a high reliability based on its monitoring purpose. Therefore, in this research, two methods used for selecting the appropriate index based on the minimum rainfall and normal distribution were evaluated. The results of the evaluation of the minimum rainfall method for selecting the appropriate index showed that most drought indices with the occurrence of minimum rainfall level indicated severe or very severe drought situations; in most cases, it could not lead to selecting an exact and unique index. Based on the results of the normal distribution method for the stations of Arak, Tabriz, Rasht, Zahedan, Shiraz and Kerman, SPI index, and for the stations of Bandar Anzali and Tehran, RDI index were selected as the most appropriate ones.

The Kor River in Fars province supplies an important part of water requirement in the Doroodzan dam basin and its surrounding area. In this study, the meteorological and hydrological droughts of this area were investigated in the last four decades. For this purpose, the temporal and spatial trend variability of the stream flow was investigated in monthly, seasonal, and annual time scales in the 6 selected stations. The trends of Standardized Precipitation Index SPI, as the drought index, in the 5 selected stations were also studied by the modified Mann-Kendall method. The results indicated that the trend in the stream flow was decreasing in all time scales. Significant downward trends were observed at 95% confidence level on monthly, annual and monthly time scales, especially in the warm months from May to September. These significant downward trends were located spatially in the stations located near the agriculture area, in the middle part of the basin. The significant upward trend existed only at the Doroodzan dam station, at the outlet in the area and in the warm months of the year. In the case of the SPI index, trends were  decreasing in all time scales and were  significant only at 2 stations in the long-term periods, 9, 12, and 18 months, at 95% confidence level. The results, therefore, indicated the occurrence of severe droughts (SPI<-2) during 1982-83 and 2007-8 periods.

Biocementation through microbial induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a recently developed new branch in geotechnical engineering that improves the mechanical properties of bio-treated soils. The potential application of MICP to handle problems such as liquefaction and erosion has been established; this technique offers an environmentally friendly, cost-effective and convenient alternative to traditional soil improvement approaches. Nevertheless, in spite of the widespread demonstration of the process at laboratory scale, few field and practical applications have been implemented to assess the efficiency of the biochemical process. Therefore, this paper presents a review of the utilization of MICP for soil improvement and discusses the treatment process including the key constituents involved and the main affecting factors, especially in field scale applications. The major contribution of this research is to identify the main parameters restricting the application of this method on site. Finally, technical and commercial progress in the industrial adoption of the technology and the main challenges that are ahead for the future research prior to real practical application are briefly discussed.
 
 

Several indices are used for drought identification and quantification. In this paper, the new Standardized Palmer Drought index (SPDI) was introduced and then the drought condition of Chaharmahal-Va-Bakhtiari Province was studied using this index. For this study, 11 synoptic, climatology, and evaporation meteorology stations were selected. Essential information in this investigation includes monthly temperature, monthly precipitation, and soil moisture measurement. To estimate SPDI, moisture departure, was first calculated on a monthly time scale. Then, converted to cumulative moisture departure values in different time scales including 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 months. The best statistical distribution (GEV) was then fitted to cumulative departure. These values were then standardized to have the SPDI. The results showed that, as soil moisture affects SPDI estimation, it will be more valid for analyzing and monitoring drought conditions, especially for agricultural drought. Also, the results showed that 2000, 2001, and 2008 years were the driest time in this Province from 1988 to 2012. Moreover, drought frequency was found out in the western half of the Province more than in the other parts.

The upcoming climate change has become a serious concern for the human society. These changes, caused and aggravated by the industrial activities of the international community and the increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, are seen as a threat to the food security and environment. Temperature change and precipitation are studied in the form of different probabilistic scenarios in order to have an outlook for the future. The present study was conducted to address the effects of climate changes on temperature and precipitation in Qazvin plain in the form of five AOGCMs including Hadcm3, CSIRO-MK3, GFDL, CGCM3 and MICROC3.2, and 3 greenhouse gas emission scenarios of A1B, A2 and B1, based on different possible scenario combinations in the next 30 years, 2021-2050 and 2051-2080 (near and far future). On basis of the study results, all 4 target stations, on average, will have experienced a change between two ratios of 0.5 and 1.4 of  the observed precipitation period  by the end of 2050, and the mean temperature will have had a change  between -0.1 to 1.6 °C, relative to the observed period.  By the end of 2080,  the  precipitation will also have fluctuated between the two proportions of 0.5 and 1.7 times of the observed precipitation period and the mean temperature will touch an increase between 0.6 and 2.6 °C. Both SPI and SPEI indices suggest the increment in the number of dry periods in the near and far future. However, the total number of negative sequences differed considering the 3, 12 and 24-month intervals at the stations level. Given the SPEI index, as compared to the base period, the total negative sequences of drought and number of dry periods will increase at 3 stations of Avaj, Bagh-Kowsar and Shahid-rajaei-powerhouse and decrease at Qazvin station in the future; however, SPI gives different results, such that  for Bagh-Kowsar, there will be an increase in both total negative sequences of drought and number of dry periods, as  compared to the baseline period; three other stations will have more dry periods, specifically, but less total negative sequences. The results reported that the drought events would become severe, and the wet events would become extreme in the future.

The effective use of rainwater is a key issue in agricultural development in arid and semi-arid regions. The tillage system as an important soil management measure can affect the rainwater retention, soil moisture content, and in consequence crop yield in rainfed lands. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of slope gradient and tillage direction on rainwater use efficiency (RWUE) in rainfed lands in Zanjan Province. The field experiment was performed in five slope gradients (12.6, 15.3, 17, 19.4, and 22%) and two tillage directions (along slope and on contour tillage) at two replications. Mass soil water content was determined at 5-day intervals and runoff was measured after rainfalls. Wheat grain yield was determined for each plot and RWUE was computed using the proportion of wheat grain yield and precipitation. Base on the results, runoff, soil moisture, wheat grain yield, and RWUE were affected by tillage directions, so that runoff in contour line tillage decreased about 6.4 times compared to along slope tillage and in consequence increased soil moisture, wheat grain yield, and RWUE about 8.7, 24.8, and 24.8%, respectively. Increasing runoff production in contour line tillage at steeper slopes was associated with a lower capacity of cultivated furrows that strongly declined soil water retention and negatively affected wheat grain yield and RWUE in the lands. This study revealed that the efficiency of the contour tillage in water retention and RWUE decreases in steeper slopes in rainfed lands.

Splash (raindrop) erosion plays an significant role in soil loss, especially in arid and semi-arid regions with poor vegetation. In this paper, by analyzing the pattern of rainfalls that occurred during 26 years in four basins located in Semnan County, their effect on the pattern of eroded sediments from the basin was investigated. Sedimentary layers from the sampling of retarding reservoir sediments in 2017 were related to the corresponding precipitations. Due to the occurrence of the highest amount of rainfall in each quarter of rainfall, rainfall hyetographs were divided into four categories. Cumulative precipitation curves with similar quartiles were drawn in one shape and compared with sediment curves and vice versa taking into account the physical characteristics of the basin. The results showed that the Aliabad basin (with less slope and more elongation) with an effective quarter of type 3 had the highest similarity in precipitation and sediment patterns. Also, the Western Soldereh basin (with the highest slope and the least elongation) with an effective quarter of type 2 had the least similarity in precipitation and sediment patterns. The results indicate the vital role of rainfall patterns on the resulting sediment patterns, which show up to 85% similarity.

Precipitation is one of the most significant climatic parameters; its distribution and values in different areas is the result of complex linear and nonlinear relationships between atmospheric elements-climatic processes and the spatial structure of the earth's surface environment. Classification of data and placing them in small and homogeneous zones can be effective in improving the understanding of these complex relationships and their results. In the present study, zoning and analyzing the distribution of rainfall in Iran concerning environmental factors was performed using the annual precipitation data of 3423 synoptic, climatological, and gauge stations in the country during the period from 1961 to 2015 and the altitude, slope, aspect, and station density data. After standardization and preparation of the data matrix, the optimal number of clusters was determined and the data set was entered into the neural-fuzzy network model (ANFIS-FCM). The results showed that the values of R²  and MAE  indices were 0.76 and 0.23, respectively which indicate the appropriate accuracy of the model. It was also found that in the four output zones of the model, environmental factors have a high impact on the spatial distribution of precipitation. In the first and third zones, the combination of high altitude and slope factors along with geographical proximity to precipitation systems has caused the average annual rainfall in these zones to be 318 and 181 mm, respectively. The mean annual rainfall has decreased to about 100 mm by the weakening of the role of environmental factors in the second and fourth clusters.

Runoff is formed by spending some time after rain and significantly depends on rainfall intensity, soil moisture, and slope. One of the fundamental questions about runoff is the time that it starts to create. In this research, the runoff start time in sandy loam soil was evaluated experimentally under different conditions using a precipitation simulator machine. The rainfall intensity parameters of (60, 80, and 100 millimeters per hour) and the slope of (0 and 5 percent) were investigated. The rainfall was created in the three soil treatment types completely dry (S_dry), the dry soil that had been saturated 24 hours before the test (S_24hrlag), and the dry soil that had been saturated 48 hours before the test (S_48hrlag). Eighteen tests were conducted on this soil. At the end of each test, the soil moisture was measured. The experimental results were compared with the numerical model of Green-Ampt. According to the Kendall and Spearman correlation test results, as the rainfall be intense, the start time of the runoff is lower. Also, the runoff starts at a faster time in the slope of 5 percent for every three types of soil. Also, the results of starting time of the runoff in the soil with a delay of 48 hours in the rain compared to the soil with a delay of 24 hours in the rain are closer in all of the rainfall intensity and slopes compared to the case of dry soil. Therefore, in the experiments related to a delay of 24 hours, the time of the start of runoff decreases. While in tests with a delay of 48 hours, it was not much different from completely dry soil. Also, the Green-Ampt results are close to the experimental results (R²=0.9775), and the maximum difference between the two mentioned methods is 4.8 minutes. Therefore, it can be used with the Green-Ampt method to calculate the start time of runoff in sandy loam soil in different states of rainfall intensity and bed slope.

Access to large precipitation data with appropriate accuracy can play an effective role in irrigation planning and water resources management. Satellite images generate high, wide, cheap, and up-to-date data is a good way to estimate precipitation. In this research, the Google Earth engine system and precipitation products from satellite images of PERSIANN and CHIRPS models in daily, monthly, and annual time intervals were used to evaluate and validate the amount of precipitation in Bandar Abbas station during the statistical period of 1983-2020. The results showed that the precipitation estimation by PERSIANN and CHIRPS satellites on a monthly and annual scale is more accurate than the daily scale. The highest correlation coefficient and the least RMSE belonged to the PERSIANN algorithm on monthly and annual scales. The value of the correlation coefficient in the PERSIANN algorithm on daily, monthly, and annual scales is equal to 0.32, 0.83, and 0.94, respectively. The correlation coefficient in the CHIRPS algorithm in daily, monthly, and annual scales is equal to 0.24, 0.71, and 0.90, respectively. The coefficient of determination (R²) of PERSIANN and Chrips algorithms on a monthly scale were 0.89 and 0.70, respectively, and for an annual scale were 0.88 and 0.80, respectively. The general conclusion of this study indicated that the accuracy of the two algorithms in determining the spatial pattern of rainfall on a monthly and annual scale is appropriate, and the PERSIANN algorithm had a higher accuracy on a monthly time scale.

Identifying the behavior of precipitation is one of the most important planning principles related to water resources. In this research, an attempt was made to analyze the trend of time changes in extreme rainfall profiles of the country by using the daily rainfall data of 3423 synoptic, climatology, and rain gauge stations for the period from 1970 to 2016 and by performing interpolation using the kriging method. Then, using percentile profiles (percentile less than 10, less than 25, 25 to 75, 75 to 90, and above 90) and regression analysis, changes in the frequency of member days of each of the percentile methods over time were calculated and mapped. The results showed that during the studied period, 86.6% of cells associated with days with the tenth percentile or less in the country had an increasing trend. On the other hand, the pixels associated with days with the 90th percentile and more have shown an increasing trend. Considering that the pixels with the 25th, 25th-75th percentiles (normal), and 75th percentile have shown a decreasing trend in terms of the number of days in their group, it can be concluded that the country's rainfall conditions and the days with rainfall are towards the limit values has moved and the possibility of drought or destructive floods has increased in the country.

Precipitation use efficiency (PUE) is defined as crop yield per unit of annual precipitation in a region. Proper management of rainfed lands requires investigation of the spatial variation of PUE. In this study, two hundred ninety-eight rainfed lands were investigated in the Khodabandeh region in the south of Zanjan province. PUE was calculated as the ratio of wheat grain yield to precipitation. In addition, climatic characteristics and soil physical properties (particle size distribution and water retention) were measured, along with soil chemical properties (pH, EC, organic matter, calcium carbonate, and macro- and micronutrients) in rainfed soils. Results indicated that the mean PUE in rainfed lands is 4.43 kg mm-1. Higher values were found in the northeast, south, and west regions of the area, although these parts had lower wheat grain yields. Geostatistical analysis showed moderate spatial variation in wheat grain yield and PUE, with patterns associated with climatic variables (precipitation and temperature) and land conditions such as soil properties (particle size distribution, organic matter, and nitrogen). Rainfed lands with fine-textured soils and higher amounts of organic matter and nitrogen had higher PUE. Adjusting tillage direction and using conservation tillage are important strategies to improve organic matter content and soil productivity in rainfed lands.