Showing 344 results for Ph
S. Jamali, H. Banejad, A. Safarizadehsani, B. Hadi,
Volume 26, Issue 1 (5-2022)
Abstract
This research was conducted to study the effect of deficit irrigation and saline water on yield and yield components of Peppermint in the experimental research greenhouse of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad from 2018 to 2019. This research was performed as a factorial experiment based on the randomized complete design with three replications. In this research, irrigation levels consist of 4 levels (100 (I1), 80 (I2), 70 (I3), and 55 (I4) percent of FC) and saline water factors consist of 4 levels (0.9 (EC1), 1.9 (EC2), 2.5 (EC3), and 3.4 dSm-1 (EC4)). The result showed that a decrease of the water to 15, 30, and 45 percent have resulted in the reduction of shoot fresh weights (to 15.8, 28.4, and 30.1 percent), shoot dry weights (to 7.1, 11.5, and 11.5 percent), and root dry weights (to 4.6, 9.2, and 9.2 percent), respectively. Also, results showed that irrigation with EC2, EC3, and EC4 has resulted in a decrease in shoot fresh weights (to 12.7, 28.5, and 34.0 percent), shoot dry weights (to 3.6, 11.6, and 11.6 percent), and root dry weights (to 6.7, 12.4, and 14.6 percent), respectively. The result indicated that interaction effects of salinity and water stress decreased peppermint water productivity, as the highest and lowest peppermint water productivity with 3.54 and 2.06 Kgm-3 were in the EC1I4 and EC3I1 treatments, respectively. Results revoluted that maximum dry yield and peppermint water productivity were in the EC1I4, so this treatment was recommended for irrigation of peppermint.
J. Abedi Koupaei, M.m. Dorafshan, A.r. Gohari,
Volume 26, Issue 3 (12-2022)
Abstract
One of the most significant techniques for saline wastewater treatment is bioremediation. Halophytes are known as the plants that can tolerate the high concentration of salts, in such salinity common plants cannot be often able to survive. In this research, the feasibility of desalination by using halophyte (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) was studied. Quinoa plants were grown in the hydroponic system in 12 containers including 9 containers with plants and 3 containers without plants as control. Fifteen plants were planted in each container and three salinity levels including 2, 8, and 14 ds/m for two different periods (15 and 30 days) were studied in a multi-factors completely randomized design. Three replications of each salinity level were conducted and the Electrical Conductivity (EC) parameters, including Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, and Chloride ions were determined before and after treatment by Quinoa plants. The results showed that the Quinoa plants reduced 5.33%, 8.12%, and 9.35% of the EC at EC~2 dS/m (Marginal Water), EC~8 dS/m (Brackish Water), and EC~14 dS/m (Saline Water), respectively. Moreover, Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, and Chloride ions decreased up to 10%, 7.62%, 5.60%, and 7.01%, respectively depending on the salinity levels. Therefore, the Quinoa plant has a relatively low potential in unconventional water treatment especially saline wastewater.
F. Naeimi Hoshmand, F. Ahmadzadeh Kaleybar,
Volume 26, Issue 3 (12-2022)
Abstract
Hydrological models for evaluating and predicting the amount of available water in basins, flood frequency analysis, and developing strategies to deal with destructive floods are expanding daily. In this study, HEC-GeoHMS and Arc Hydro extensions in ArcGIS software and the HEC-HMS model were used to simulate design flood hydrographs in the Aydooghmush basin in the northwest of Iran. SCS-CN, SCS-UH, Maskingham, and monthly fixed methods were used to calculate rainfall losses, rainfall-runoff transformation, flood routing, and base flow, respectively. In model calibration with two real flood events, the average of absolute values of the residuals, the sum of the remaining squares, and the weight of the peak mean the error squares for the flood volume were 2.75, 5.91, and 5.32, respectively and for peak discharge were 8.9, 8.0, and 8.0, respectively. Model validation was evaluated as acceptable with a one percent error rate in the peak of discharge and a 19 percent in the flood volume. For maximum 24-hour precipitation, the log-Pearson type 3 was determined as the most suitable distribution in the SMADA model and design precipitation was extracted in different return periods. Thus, for the return period of 2 to 1000 years, the peak discharge and volume of the design flood were simulated equally to 18.8 to 415.6 m3 s-1 and 5.7 to 87.9 MCM, respectively.
Mrs Soghra Bagheri, M.r. Ansari, A. Norouzi,
Volume 26, Issue 3 (12-2022)
Abstract
Soil erosion has been one of the most important problems of watersheds in the world and is considered one of the main obstacles to achieving sustainable development in agriculture and natural resources. Identifying and prioritizing regions sensitive to soil erosion is essential for water and soil conservation and natural resource management in watersheds. The present research was performed in 2021 year to prioritize the soil erosion susceptibility in 12 sub-watersheds of the Roudzard watershed in Khouzestan province using morphometric analysis and multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods. In this regard, 11 morphometric parameters including shape parameters such as compactness constant (Cc), circularity ratio (Rc), form factor (Rf), elongation ratio (Re), linear parameters such as drainage density (Dd), stream frequency (Fs), drainage texture (Dt), bifurcation ratio (Rb), Basin length (L), Length of overland flow (Lg), and topographic parameter including Ruggedness number (Rn) were extracted and their relative weights were calculated using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The prioritization sub-watershed to soil erosion was performed using TOPSIS, VIKOR, and SAW methods, and the results were combined using rank mean, Copeland, and Borda methods. The final prioritization was compared with the amount of specific erosion in the MPSIAC model by determining Spearman's correlation coefficient. The result of the evaluation of morphometric parameters by using the AHP model showed that drainage density (0.161), drainage texture (0.158), and stream frequency (0.146) had the greatest effect on the erodability of the sub-watersheds. In contrast, the form factor (0.049), Elongation Ratio (0.036), and shape factor (0.026) had the least effects on erodability of the study area. In this research, the Spearman correlation coefficient between the final result of prioritizing the sub-watershed and the MPSIAC model was obtained as 0.8 in p-value<0.01. The results of prioritization of the sub-watersheds in terms of their sensitivity to soil erosion showed that sub-watersheds 11, 12, and 10 with an area of 191.83 km2 are categorized as very sensitive to soil erosion due to high value of linear parameters, low value of shape parameters, sensitive geology formation, and poor vegetation cover and located in rank 1 to 3, respectively. According to the results sub-watersheds 11, 12, and 10 have the highest amount of specific erosion equal to 16.03, 12.48, and 11.6 tons per hectare per year, respectively. Therefore, these sub-watersheds are a priority for watershed management operations. The results of the present study showed that MCDM methods and morphometric analysis are suitable tools for identifying areas sensitive to soil erosion and using the combined methods of the results and it is possible to take advantage of each of the different multi-criteria decision-making methods.
A. Balvaieh, L. Gholami, F. Shokrian, A, Kavian,
Volume 26, Issue 4 (3-2023)
Abstract
Changes in nutrient concentrations of soil can specify optimal management of manure and prevent environmental and water resources pollution. The present study was conducted with the objective of changing macronutrients concentrations of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium with amendments application of polyvinyl acetate, bean residual, and a combination of polyvinyl acetate + bean residual for time periods of one, two, and four months. The results showed that the application of soil amendments had various effects on changing Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. The maximum amount of Nitrogen related to the treatment of bean residual at the time period of four months before simulation (with a rate of 44.62 percent) and minimum amount of nitrogen related to Polyvinyl acetate treatment at the time period of one month (with a rate of -1.92 percent). The minimum rate of Phosphorus was measured at the treatment of bean residual at the time period of one month before simulation (with a rate of 0.95 percent). The maximum amount of Potassium related to the treatment of Polyvinyl acetate at the time period of four months before simulation (with a rate of 189.35 percent) and the minimum amount of Potassium related to the combination of bean residual + Polyvinyl acetate at the time period of one month after simulation (with a rate of 40.66 percent). Therefore, the application of amendments has various effects on changing soil macronutrients at different time periods.
V. Habibi Arbatani, M. Akbari, Z. Moghaddam, A.m. Bayat,
Volume 26, Issue 4 (3-2023)
Abstract
In recent years, indirect methods such as remote sensing and data mining have been used to estimate soil salinity. In this research, the electrical conductivity of 94 soil samples from 0 to 100 cm was measured using the Hypercube technique in the Saveh plain. 23 types of input data were used in the form of topographic and spectral categories. Land area parameters such as the Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), Terrain Classification Index (TCI), Stream Power Index (STP), Digital Elevation Model (DEM), and Length of Slope (LS) were considered as topographic inputs using Arc-GIS and SAGA software. Also, salinity spatial and vegetation indices were extracted from Landsat 8 images and were considered spectral inputs. The GMDH neural network was used to model salinity with a ratio of 70% for training and 30% for validation. The results showed that the soil salinity values were between 0.1 and 18 with mean and standard deviation of 5 and 4.7 dS/m, respectively. Also, the results of modeling indicated that the statistical parameters R2, MBE, and NRMSE in the training step were 0.80, 0.06, and 42.1%, respectively. The same values in the validation step were 0.79, 0.13, and 48.7%, respectively. Therefore, the application of spectral, topographic, and GMDH neural network indices for modeling soil salinity is effective.
A.r. Emadi, S. Fazeli, M. Hooshmand, S. Zamanzad-Ghavidel, R. Sobhani,
Volume 27, Issue 1 (5-2023)
Abstract
The agricultural sector as one of the most important sectors of water consumption has great importance for the sustainability of the country's water resources systems. The objective of this study was to estimate the river water abstraction (RWA) for agricultural consumption in the study area of Nobaran in the Namak Lake basin. The RWA was estimated using variables related to morphological, hydrological, and land use factors, as well as a combination of their variables collected through field sampling. Data mining methods such as adaptive-network-based fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS), group method of data handling (GMDH), radial basis function (RBF), and regression trees (Rtree) were also used to estimate the RWA variables. In the current study, the GMDH24 model with a combined scenario including the variables of river width, river depth, minimum flow, maximum flow, average flow, crop, and the garden cultivated area was adopted as the best model to estimate the RWA variable. The RMSE value for the combined scenario of the GMDH24 model was found to be 0.046 for estimating RWA in the Nobaran study area. The results showed that the performance of the GMDH24 model for estimating RWA for maximum values is very acceptable and promising. Therefore, modeling and identifying various variables that affect the optimal RWA rate for agricultural purposes fulfills the objectives of integrated water resources management (IWRM).
R. Mousavai, M. Rasouli Sadaghiani, E. Sepehr, M. Barin,
Volume 27, Issue 1 (5-2023)
Abstract
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 (KL) 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 (KF) 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.
M. Dehghanian, H. Tabatabaee, H. Shirani, F. Nikookhah,
Volume 27, Issue 1 (5-2023)
Abstract
In sustainable agriculture, cow manure is used for greater productivity, a rich source of E-Coli pathogenic bacteria. The objective of this research was to investigate the simultaneous effect of the fractionation size of cattle manure and irrigation water salinity on the retention of E-Coli bacteria in the depths of the sand column with a height of 10 cm under saturated flow. Four different particle fractions of cow manure (1-2, 0.5-1, 0.25-0.5, and smaller than 0.25 mm) were added to the surface of the sand column at the scale of 30 tons per hectare, then leaching was done with different salinities (0, 0.5, 2.5, 5, and 10 dS/m) up to 10 pore volumes, then samples were taken from the depths of 0, 3, 6, and 12 cm. The number of bacteria in each sample was determined by the live counting method. The results showed that the effect of all sources of change and their interaction effects on the retention of bacteria in the soil is significant at the level of 5%. Salinity had a negative effect on the retention of bacteria, and the highest and lowest values of the relative concentration of bacteria (the result of dividing the number of bacteria in each soil depth by the initial number of bacteria in the desired manure treatment) were in 0 dS/m and 10 dS/m salinity of leaching water, respectively. By decreasing the size of cow manure particles due to the increase in hydrophobicity and blocking of preferential pores, the retention of bacteria decreased in all investigated soil depths. The highest and lowest retention of bacteria in the soil were investigated in the largest cow manure particle size (1-2 mm) and the smallest cow manure particle size (less than 0.25 mm), respectively. In addition, the highest relative concentration of bacteria in the soil was seen in the depth of 0-3 cm, and no significant difference was seen in other soil depths.
F. Momeni, A.a. Amirinejad,
Volume 27, Issue 1 (5-2023)
Abstract
In precision agriculture, a productivity rating system is a significant tool to quantitatively assess soil quality. An experiment was conducted in Bilavar, Kermanshah to evaluate the spatial variability of physical indicators of soil quality of a rapeseed (Brassica napus) field. Spatial variability analysis of soil physical properties measured on a rectangular grid (100 m×100 m) was carried out using a geostatistical analyst extension of Arc-GIS software. Five physical soil quality indicators including bulk density (BD), non-capillary porosity (NCP), field saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks), available water retention capacity (AWC), and organic carbon (OC) were determined. The physical rating index (PRI) at each sampling point was determined by multiplying the rating values for all five parameters. Results revealed that major ranges of semivariogram for Ks and AWC varied between 137-145 m and for BD, OC, and NCP they were relatively long (161-205 m). Clay and NCP showed moderate spatial dependence (0.68 and 0.28, respectively) whereas the rest of the parameters showed weak spatial dependence. Also, the correlation between PRI and the biological yield of rapeseed was fairly good (R2=0.68). Investigation of zoning maps of soil physical properties showed an increase in BD and a decrease in AWC and NCP parameters depending on changes in soil texture and organic matter content in some parts of the field. In general, the PRI index is an important tool in the quantitative assessment of soil physical conditions, and based on it and zoning maps can improve the physical quality of soil in agricultural fields.
F. Esmaeili, M. Vafakhah, V. Moosavi,
Volume 27, Issue 1 (5-2023)
Abstract
Digital elevation models (DEMs) are one of the most important data required in watershed modeling with hydrological models and their spatial resolution has a significant impact on the accuracy of simulating hydrological processes. In the present study, the effect of spatial resolution of five DEMs derived from the topographic map (TOPO) with a scale of 1:25000, ALOS PALSAR, ASTER, SRTM, and GTOPO with a spatial accuracy of 10, 12.5, 30, 90, and 1000 m, respectively, on the estimation of parameters of geomorphological and geomorphoclimatic unit hydrographs models has been evaluated in Amameh watershed. Thirty-four single flood events were used during the years 1970 to 2015. The results showed that in the GUH method, the application of the TOPO and ALOS PALSAR DEMs had the best results with root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.7 and 1.8 m3/s and Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) of 0.4 and 0.3, respectively. While the GTOPO DEM had the least efficiency with RMSE of 2.8 m3/s and NSE of -2. Similarly, the lowest and highest RMSE in the GCUH method belonged to TOPO and GTOPO DEMs with RMSE of 3.8 and 18 m3/s and NSE of 0.2 and -6, respectively. Generally, the GUH method had more favorable results than the GCUH method in all DEMs.
J. Abedi Koupai, A.r. Vahabi,
Volume 27, Issue 2 (9-2023)
Abstract
Awareness of water resources status is essential for the proper management of resources and planning for the future due to the occurrence of climate change in most parts of the world and its impact on different parts of the water cycle. Hence, many studies have been carried out in different regions to analyze the effects of climate change on the hydrological process in the coming periods. The present study examined the effects of climate change on surface runoff using the Atmosphere-Ocean General Circulation Model (AOGCM) in Khomeini Shahr City. The maximum and minimum temperatures and precipitation of the upcoming period (2020-2049) were simulated using a weighted average of three models for each of the minimum and maximum temperatures and precipitation parameters based on the scenario A2 and B1 (pessimistic and optimistic states, respectively) of the AOGCM-AR4 models. The LARS-WG model was also used to measure the downscaling. The HEC-HMS was used to predict runoff. The effects of climate change in the coming period (2020-2049) compared with the observation period (1971-2000), in the A2 scenario, the minimum and maximum temperatures would increase by 1.1 and 1.6 Degrees Celsius, respectively, and the precipitation would decrease 17.8 percent. In the B1 scenario, the minimum and maximum temperatures would increase by 1.1 and 1.4 degrees Celsius, respectively, and the precipitation would decrease by 13 percent. The results of runoff were different in the six scenarios in the way the most runoff reduction is related to the scenario of fixed land use and scenario A2 (22.2% reduction), and the most increase is related to the scenario of 45% urban growth and scenario B1 (5.8% increase). So, according to increase urban texture in the future and consequently enhance the volume of runoff, this volume of runoff can be used to feed groundwater, irrigate gardens, and green space in the city.
A.r. Hossienpur, M. Barati, M.h. Salehi,
Volume 27, Issue 4 (12-2023)
Abstract
The kinetics of potassium release may be affected by P When phosphorus (P) fertilizer is applied to soils. The objective of this study was to the effect of Ca(H2Po4)2 fertilizer on the kinetics of non-exchangeable potassium (NEK) release in 10 calcareous soils. The amount of 100 mg kg-1 of P as Ca(H2Po4)2 was added to the soils. Treated and untreated soils were incubated at 70% of field capacity and 25±1°C for 90 days. After that, the NEK release was studied by 0.01 M CaCl2 extractant in 2017 hours by successive extraction methods in the treated and untreated soils. The results showed the NEK released in treated soils less than in untreated soils. The mean cumulative NEK released after 2017 h in the treated and untreated soils was 260.6 and 303.3 mg kg-1, respectively. The release of NEK in all soils was fast in the initial stages and continued at a lower speed in the later stages until the end of the experiment. The kinetics of NEK release was evaluated using kinetic equations. Based on the highest coefficients of determination (R2) and the lowest standard error (SE), the kinetics of NEK release in treated and untreated soils were described by the power function equation. The results of this research could be helpful for the precise fertilizer recommendation for the study in calcareous soils.
J. Abedi Koupai, A. Chehreraz, F. Dadvand,
Volume 27, Issue 4 (12-2023)
Abstract
The scarcity of freshwater resources increases the importance of seawater and brackish water desalination processes. However, a large amount of specific energy requirements, and high operational costs, present a big challenge in adopting desalination technologies. Due to high expenses of energy, desalination of saline waters by low-cost methods is important. The objective of this research was to investigate the ability of two adsorbents (zeolite and graphene oxide) to remove salinity ions from aqueous solutions in Caspian Sea water and water of the well of the Dark zone in Isfahan. At first, some graphene oxide was made according to Homer's method. Then, the characteristics of graphene oxide were known by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and using an electron microscope. After that, the ability of adsorbents to remove salinity agent cations and anions was evaluated. To investigate a fixed-bed zeolite column with graphene oxide (GO) layer was used to remove Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, and Cl– from 50 cc of saline water. Also, Hexadecyl trimethylamine (HDTMA) was used to modify natural zeolites. The results showed that among the adsorbents for the water of the well in the Dark zone, 30 mg graphene oxide with 13 gr zeolite had the highest adsorption rate (23.84 percent of salinity reduction), and for Caspian Sea water, 13 gr zeolite modified by surfactants had the highest adsorption rate (23.43 percent of salinity reduction). Also, the removal of cations and anion followed the sequence: K+ >Ca2+ >Mg2+ >Cl– >Na+.
S. Jalinousi, E. Joudaki, A. Moghadassi, M. Mahdieh,
Volume 27, Issue 4 (12-2023)
Abstract
This research presents the application of phytoremediation to remove ammonia from effluent possessing high ammonium content and alkalinity in one of the most complex refineries in Iran. The objective of this research was to find new methods to protect and preserve water resources. At first, the algae distribution was investigated. After purifying the samples, Chlorella Vulgaris was selected as resistant algae in the areas that experienced ammonia shocks. A 10-liter container and an airlift photobioreactor with similar laboratory conditions were developed to control biomass production. Experiments were conducted over 20 days and maximum biomass production occurred in the first 16-17 days. Cell density was expressed as dry cell weight in ammonia concentration from 10 mg/L to 500 mg/L. It was also observed that when the Nitrogen content of the culture medium was less than 50 mg/L, ammonia was completely removed in both methods. At a concentration of 10 mg/L, total ammonia in both methods was removed in the first week. At 50 mg/L to 100 mg/L concentrations, about 94% of ammonia was removed in the glass container and about 95% in the bioreactor. In these concentrations, with high ammonia content, the final cell density, and absorption power were significantly low and this was evident at 500 mg/L. Prevention of water evaporation and biomass settling, better control of some vital parameters including pH, temperature, light, and energy intensity, effective mass and heat transfer, and carbon dioxide concentration led to better efficiency of the airlift photobioreactor. A noteworthy point in this result was the extraordinary performance of Chlorella Vulgaris in removing toxic pollutants such as ammonia and possibly using it in the biological systems of sanitary, refineries, and petrochemicals.
A. Barikloo, S. Rezapour, P. Alamdari, R. Taghizadeh Mehrjardi,
Volume 27, Issue 4 (12-2023)
Abstract
Soil quality is one of the most crucial factors determining crop productivity and production stability. The soil's physical, chemical, biological, and ecological characteristics affect its quality. Numerous researchers have concentrated the evaluation on a small number of soil quality indicators because measuring all soil quality indicators would be time-consuming and expensive. This study looked at the spatial autocorrelation of soil quality in the southwest areas of the Urmia Plain to establish the minimal data set for quantitative assessment. To accomplish this, 120 composite soil samples were collected from a depth of 0 to 60 cm, and the soil quality index was then calculated using the IQI method in 4 modes: Total-Linear (IQIwL-TDS), Total-Nonlinear (IQIwNL-TDS), Minimum-Linear (IQIwL-MDS), and Minimum nonlinearity (IQIwNL-MDS). 22 physical and chemical characteristics were used to choose the data set. The characteristics of sand percentage, sodium absorption ratio, cation exchange capacity, Available phosphorus, active calcium carbonate, and nickel concentration were chosen as the minimum data set (MDS) using the decomposition method into principal components. The linear IQIMDS mode produced the greatest soil quality index result, whereas the non-linear IQIMDS mode produced the lowest. The non-linear mode of the IQI index has a greater correlation coefficient (R2=0.85) than the linear mode of the IQI index (R2=0.73), according to an analysis of the linear and non-linear correlation coefficient between the soil quality index with the total category and minimum data. The findings of computing the global Moran's index for study sets of IQI soil quality index data revealed that the soil quality data are not independent of each other and are spatially autocorrelated, distributed in clusters, and have spatial autocorrelation. Getis-ord GI statistics indicated that the eastern and southeastern parts of the research region comprise clusters with poor soil quality, salt marshes produced by Lake Urmia's drying up, and surrounding arid plains.
B. Akbari, H. Khademi,
Volume 27, Issue 4 (12-2023)
Abstract
Street dust enters the urban environments due to the resuspension of particles smaller than 100 micrometers. The magnetic properties of street dust and their relationship with the concentration of heavy metals have received less attention from researchers worldwide, and not much study has been performed on this issue in Iran. The objectives of this study were: (i) to investigate the spatial and seasonal changes in street dust, and (ii) to determine their relationships with the concentration of selected heavy metals in several cities in the Isfahan province. Sampling was carried out in the first half of the second month of each season including 20 samples from Isfahan city and 10 samples from Natanz, Shahreza, Falavarjan, Khomeinishahr, and Najafabad. The concentration of selected heavy metals was measured using an atomic absorption spectrometer. Also, the magnetic susceptibility values of the samples at low and high frequencies were determined and frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility was calculated. The results showed that the presence of ferromagnesian minerals in the parent materials could be the reason for the high values of magnetic receptivity in Natanz City. However, the high level of this characteristic in the street dust of other cities could be due to human activities, especially in Isfahan city. Based on the results of principal component analysis, the high correlation of the first component with magnetic susceptibility and the concentration of zinc, copper, and chromium elements most likely indicates the absorption of these elements by particles close to superparamagnetic (SP). The high correlation of the second component with frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility and concentration of nickel and cobalt is most likely related to the adsorption of magnetic elements and heavy metals into coarse polyhedral particles that remained on the street floor after the re-deposition of street dust particles. Also, the high correlations between magnetic parameters and the concentration of copper and zinc confirm their anthropogenic origin. On the other hand, low or negative correlations of Pb, Ni, Cr, and Co concentrations with magnetic susceptibility might confirm their natural or non-anthropogenic origin. The higher values of magnetic parameters of street dust in the spring season reflect the significant contribution of magnetic minerals in this season, compared to autumn and winter, and indicate the higher influence of human activities.
A.s. Hosseini Khezrabad, A.a. Vali, A.h. Halabian, M.h. Mokhtari,
Volume 27, Issue 4 (12-2023)
Abstract
Desertification is one of the most serious ecological environmental problems in the arid regions. Quantitative assessment of the desertification process is important for the prevention and control of desertification. In this research, the IMDPA model was used to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative desertification situation in the northwest of Yazd. Three criteria of soil, vegetation, and wind erosion were considered in this model. Several indicators were defined for each criterion with a weight of 0 (low) to 4 (very severe). The geometric mean of all three criteria was used to prepare a map of sensitive areas to desertification in ArcGIS. The results indicated that more than 92% of the research area was in the extreme class of desertification, and only the dunes work unit was in a very intense class. Finally, the whole of the research area with a final score of 3.04 was placed in the extreme class of desertification intensity. Also, the soil criterion with the highest weight score of 3.26 has had the greatest impact on the desertification of the northwest region of Yazd. Therefore, it is necessary to implement remedial and revitalization operations in this region according to the expansion of the phenomenon of desertification and the high influence of the soil criteria. The results of the research showed the intensity of desertification, the potential, and the sensitivity of the region to the phenomenon of desertification can be referred to as a departure from the natural functioning of the system.
R. Sargholi, A. Bordbar, A. Asareh, M. Heidarnejad,
Volume 28, Issue 1 (5-2024)
Abstract
In the past, various methods have been proposed to control beach heel scouring. For shallow rivers (such as mountain rivers), various types of overflows are used. Therefore, the development of scour in cross-vane and w-weir structures for coastal protection was investigated in this study. The results showed that by installing a w-weir structure in a 90-degree position compared to a 30 and 60-degree position, a 37.9% and 19.7% reduction of scouring was observed, respectively. Also, by installing the cross vane structure in the 90-degree position compared to the 30 and 60-degree position, a 35.4% and 21.2% reduction of scouring was observed, respectively. With increasing width (L / B) (ratio of the width of structure to the width of flume), the w-weir structure decreased from 1.5 to 2, scour rate of 7.9%. Also, with increasing width (L / B) (ratio of the width of structure to the width of flume), the cross-vane structure has decreased from 1.3 to 1.7, and the scour rate has decreased by 4.7%. The w-weir structure had an average of 7.3% less scouring than the cross-vane structure.
Z. Naderizadeh, H. Khademi, A. Shamsollah,
Volume 28, Issue 1 (5-2024)
Abstract
Although several reports are available on the distribution of Palygorskite in the soils of arid regions of Iran, there is not much information about the presence and abundance of this important fibrous clay mineral in the soils of Bushehr Province. This research was carried out: (1) to investigate the distribution of Palygorskite and other major associated clay minerals, and (2) to evaluate the relationship between the relative quantity of Palygorskite in clay-sized fraction and the most important soil properties in Dashtestan County, Bushehr Province. Five geomorphic surfaces including eroded rock outcrop, rock outcrop, dissected hill, alluvial fan, and alluvial plain were identified in the study area using Google Earth images and field observations. After sampling representative pedons, the clay mineralogy of two horizons from each pedon was determined. X-ray diffractograms and SEM images showed that in the studied soils, which were classified as either Aridisols or Entisols, Palygorskite was present in different quantities on all geomorphic surfaces. Moreover, Illite, Chlorite, Smectite, irregularly interstratified Chlorite/Illite, and Kaolinite were the other clay minerals that existed in the soils studied. The relative quantity of Palygorskite and Smectite was variable on different geomorphic surfaces. Regardless of the type of geomorphic surface, petrogypsic and gypsic horizons showed the highest quantity of Palygorskite as compared to other horizons which seems to be due to the suitable geochemical conditions of these horizons for the formation and stability of Palygorskite mineral. The higher correlation of Palygorskite content with gypsum, as compared to that with the carbonates, indicates the importance of gypsum in Palygorskite distribution in the soils of the study area. The findings also indicated that the amount of Palygorskite was positively correlated with soluble Mg/Ca ratio, pH, gypsum, and soluble Mg. These parameters appear to control the genesis and distribution of Palygorskite in the soils studied. In general, it is necessary to pay special attention to their clay mineralogy, especially the significant amount of Palygorskite to manage the soils of the study area and to reasonably predict their behavior.
