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Publication Date: 2025/03/04
Iranian Journal of Remote Sensing and GIS (20085966) 17pp. 177-200
Background and Objectives: Air pollution is one of the major environmental and health challenges that has been exacerbated by industrial growth and increased human activity, particularly in large and industrial cities. Methane gas, as one of the most potent greenhouse gases, plays a significant role in global warming, climate change, and the deterioration of air quality. The sources of methane emissions include wetlands, livestock farming, agriculture, and landfill sites, with human activities contributing significantly to its increase. Measuring and monitoring air pollution often faces spatial and temporal limitations due to ground-based monitoring stations. In this context, satellite data, due to its wide coverage, cost-effectiveness, and ability to provide high spatial and temporal resolution data, is used as one of the most important sources of information for studying air pollution. This research utilizes data from the TROPOMI sensor on the Sentinel-5P satellite, which enables the measurement of methane concentrations in the atmosphere, as the primary data source. These data serve as the basis for spatial and temporal analysis of methane distribution in the Isfahan metropolitan area, providing an opportunity to closely examine the spatial and temporal patterns of this pollutant on a large scale. Despite the high importance of methane pollution, no comprehensive study has been conducted regarding the spatial and temporal distribution of this pollutant in Isfahan. The aim of this research is to conduct a comprehensive and systematic analysis of methane distribution in the city of Isfahan using satellite data and identify the relationship between atmospheric changes and methane variations to offer effective solutions for air pollution management and environmental quality improvement.
Publication Date: 2025
Natural Hazards (0921030X) 121(2)pp. 1353-1373
The increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases(CO2) emission in the atmosphere, and natural climate change phenomena has caused unprecedented changes in global climate behavior. The sharp increase in temperature and extreme weather events like drought in arid and semi-arid countries like Iran have reduced the resilience of ecosystems, thus, environmental stability. The objective here is to analyze the causality of air temperature rise trend and drought, by assessing their consequences on water tension and internal migration, next to providing appropriate solutions in reducing environmental vulnerability in Iran through the Driving Force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) model. It is revealed that the air temperature in Iran is increasing at a rate faster than the global average. The simultaneous rise in temperature, the decrease in precipitation, and the occurrence of long-term droughts have increased water tension and reduced the stability of settlements. Reduced water resources have increased poverty and internal migration in Iran. Reducing the intensity of fossil fuel consumption and CO2 emission, through adaptation methods and improving the spatial distribution of the population are among the proposed responses for adjusting the water tension effects and reducing vulnerability. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2024.
Publication Date: 2025
Land Use Policy (02648377) 148
Land use change is an effective factor in climate change and global warming, which contributes to the carbon cycle, radiant energy balance, and dust production. Urmia Lake basin water balance in the Northwestern part of Iran is in a critical condition due to land use change, drought, and climate change. This process has led to the lake water area reduction and pronounced dust production. The satellite images indicate that from 1984 to 2017, 1433 Km2 rangelands and water area of the Urmia Lake basin decreased by more than 2906 Km2. The area of human settlement increased by 550 Km2, irrigated farmland and orchards, 804 Km2, and salty marsh, 3428 Km2. The outputs of the WetSpass hydrological model reveal the highest coefficient of evapotranspiration and interception variation in the East of Urmia Lake basin. The effects of these changes are observed in reduced soil moisture, increased salty marsh, and soft sediments as potential dust resources. During the study period, the frequency of dust days in the North and East of the lake increased 2.5-fold, while in the Southern and Western parts increased 6-fold. The results of the Pettitt Test indicate that these changes began to appear in 2007. The regression and correlation test confirm that salt marshes and soft sediments account for up to 75 %, and the decrease in the area of Urmia Lake for more than 64 % of the dust changes. The results of the assessments indicate the contribution of footprint in the destruction of the natural environment and the water balance of the lake basin. Revision of water resources management and environmental water rights of the lake, changes in the development strategy from agriculture to non-agriculture development based on lower water demand, and reduction of storage dams are among the recommended strategies to address this problem. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd
Publication Date: 2025
Journal of Mountain Science (16726316) 22(7)pp. 2527-2540
Long-term droughts, temperature rise, and extreme weather events cause changes in runoff, evaporation, and transpiration in basins. These changes are more severe in arid and semi-arid regions. Since 2007, the discharge of baseflow of the Zagros Mountain has decreased and made the supply of agricultural, industrial, and drinking water a big challenge. In this investigation, utilizing data from weather stations, the output of CORDEX, and the WetSpass model, the impact of climate change on river discharge in the Great Karun Basin (GKB) was examined. The temperature and precipitation projections for the period 2019–2040 were analyzed using the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase Six (CMIP6) under scenarios SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5. The findings reveal that the minimum and maximum temperatures are expected to increase by 0.2°C to 5.1°C and 0.1°C to 3.6°C, respectively. Annual precipitation will decrease between 1.3% and 16.7% in scenario SSP2-4.5 and 23.4% in scenario SSP5-8.5. The results of the WetSpass Model for predicting future scenarios indicate a decrease in direct flow (5%), total discharge (27%), and interception (15%). As evapotranspiration will increase by 15% due to climate change, it will be more difficult to predict the water resources’ volume of the Karoun Basin for the next decades. Adapting to climate change is the appropriate solution to solve this problem. Changes in temperature and precipitation in these areas pose major challenges to water resources. © Science Press, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, CAS and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025.
Publication Date: 2024
Natural Hazards (15730840) 120(5)pp. 4329-4348
Human activities and climate change have resulted in environmental degradation and increased environmental hazards globally. In Khuzestan province, such hazards have included droughts, heat waves, and dust storms occurring more frequently. To understand the factors contributing to the dust storms, this study evaluated changes in rainfall, air temperature maximum and minimum, and soil temperature (1985–2019), as well as land cover, land surface temperature, and water bodies in 2017 (drought) and 2019 (wet year). The findings of the principal component analysis indicate a reduction in annual water bodies, spring vegetation, and water bodies in the spring, summer, and autumn seasons. The increase in air and land surface temperature accounts for 95% of the variance in dust in the Khuzestan province. Field surveys suggest that various human activities such as hydro dam building, crude oil drilling, extracting crude oil wells in lagoons, changes in farmland use, and water transfer among water basins have intensified the phenomena in the region under study. To manage this critical issue more effectively, it is recommended to review and assess local policies regarding regional ecology and establish cooperative agreements with regional countries such as Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia which all experience similar natural disasters. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2024.
Publication Date: 2024
Environmental Hazards (17477891) 23(3)pp. 241-264
Human mobility in the context of environmental change has become a pressing issue in the last four decades, leading to a vast body of literature that this study seeks to analyze. This paper utilises bibliometric tools to provide a comprehensive overview of the structure, themes, and conceptual evolution of climate migration research over the last four decades. Specifically, the study analyzed 476 publications indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus databases using VOSviewer and SciMAT software. The results indicate that the conceptual evolution of the field occurred primarily between 2007 and 2015. It identified four thematic clusters: water-related hazards, forced migration, climate change and adaptation, and population studies and policymaking. These findings offer important insights for scholars and decision-makers, providing a better understanding of the current state of knowledge and highlighting promising new research areas as well as gaps that require further exploration. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Publication Date: 2023
Environmental Earth Sciences (18666280) 82(8)
Anomalies and concentrations of winter precipitation are effective in the challenges regarding water shortage. Iran's precipitation is strongly influenced by teleconnection, where changes in SLP (sea level pressure), SST (sea surface temperature), and 500 hpa levels contribute highly to the temporal distribution and precipitation volume. The effect of the SST, SLP, and 500 hpa, 2.5°× 2.5° factors are assessed from 1984 to 2018. The results indicate that a decrease in the Red Sea pressure (Sudan Low) and the Pacific Ocean and an increase in the Atlantic and Indian oceans’ pressures increase Iran's winter precipitation. At 500 hpa level, the results reveal that the increased winter precipitation in Iran is associated with an increase of 500 hPa in altitude on the Baltic Sea and the Indian Ocean and a decrease in altitude of 500 hpa on the Caspian Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Red Sea. In SST, the results indicate that the linkage between SST and precipitation of Iran is positive in regions of the Arabian and Red sea, Madagascar, and north Atlantic Ocean regions. Any change in SLP, 500 hPa level, and SST introduces positive or negative anomalies in Iran's precipitation. Global warming, which changes SLP, atmospheric thickness (1000–500), and SST, has a greater impact on Iran's precipitation, thus challenging water resources and facing climate risks. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
Atashi, N. ,
Tuure, J. ,
Alakukku, L. ,
Rahimi, D. ,
Pellikka, P. ,
Zaidan, M.A. ,
Vuollekoski, H. ,
Räsänen, M. ,
Kulmala, M. ,
Vesala, T. Publication Date: 2021
Water (Switzerland) (20734441) 13(9)
Model evaluation against experimental data is an important step towards accurate model predictions and simulations. Here, we evaluated an energy-balance model to predict dew formation occurrence and estimate its amount for East-African arid-climate conditions against 13 months of experimental dew harvesting data in Maktau, Kenya. The model was capable of predicting the dew formation occurrence effectively. However, it overestimated the harvestable dew amount by about a ratio of 1.7. As such, a factor of 0.6 was applied for a long-term period (1979–2018) to investigate the spatial and temporal variation of the dew formation in Kenya. The annual average of dew occurrence in Kenya was ~130 days with dew yield > 0.1 L/m2/day. The dew formation showed a seasonal cycle with the maximum yield in winter and minimum in summer. Three major dew formation zones were identified after cluster analysis: arid and semi-arid regions; mountain regions; and coastal regions. The average daily and yearly maximum dew yield were 0.05 and 18; 0.9 and 25; and 0.15 and 40 L/m2/day; respectively. A precise prediction of dew occurrence and dew yield is very challenging due to inherent limitations in numerical models and meteorological input parameters. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).
Publication Date: 2021
Environmental Processes (21987505) 8(3)pp. 1027-1045
This paper aims to find the possible relationships between winter precipitation (December, January, February; DJF) in Iran with three oceanic sources through the correlation wavelet analysis by applying the continuous wavelet transform (CWT), the cross–wavelet transform (XWT), and the wavelet transform coherence (WTC). The sources in the North Atlantic Ocean (30°W-70°W, 10°N-30°N), the South Pacific Ocean (80°W-120°W, 20°S-40°S) and the Indian Ocean (50°E-100°E, 10°S-40°S) were selected using Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC > 0.5) that can represent the possible relationships between Iran’s winter precipitations with the oceanic sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly. The monthly gridded precipitation and SST data with a 2.5° × 2.5° resolution were evaluated from 1984 to 2019 to achieve this goal. The XWT results of precipitation and SST anomaly showed that the 8–16 months period is the most effective and predominant period between the South Pacific Ocean and 81% of all the precipitation zones. WTC results for the North Atlantic Ocean and 72% of all the precipitation zones showed periods of 4–8 (36%) and 16–32 (36%) months as the dominant duration. Despite the proximity of the Indian Ocean to the precipitation zones, there is no significant causal relationship between them, based on the XWT results. However, due to Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO), the 4–8 months period (45%) was seen between the Indian Ocean and some precipitation zones, based on WTC results. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
Atashi, N. ,
Rahimi, D. ,
Sinclair, V.A. ,
Zaidan, M.A. ,
Rusanen, A. ,
Vuollekoski, H. ,
Kulmala, M. ,
Vesala, T. ,
Hussein, T. Publication Date: 2021
Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (10275606) 25(9)pp. 4719-4740
Dew is a non-conventional source of water that has been gaining interest over the last two decades, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. In this study, we performed a long-term (1979-2018) energy balance model simulation to estimate dew formation potential in Iran aiming to identify dew formation zones and to investigate the impacts of long-term variation in meteorological parameters on dew formation. The annual average of dew occurrence in Iran was ∼ 102 d, with the lowest number of dewy days in summer (∼ 7 d) and the highest in winter (∼ 45 d). The average daily dew yield was in the range of 0.03-0.14 Lm-2 and the maximum was in the range of 0.29-0.52 Lm-2. Six dew formation zones were identified based on cluster analysis of the time series of the simulated dew yield. The distribution of dew formation zones in Iran was closely aligned with topography and sources of moisture. Therefore, the coastal zones in the north and south of Iran (i.e., Caspian Sea and Oman Sea), showed the highest dew formation potential, with 53 and 34 Lm-2 yr-1, whereas the dry interior regions (i.e., central Iran and the Lut Desert), with the average of 12-18 Lm-2 yr-1, had the lowest potential for dew formation. Dew yield estimation is very sensitive to the choice of the heat transfer coefficient. The uncertainty analysis of the heat transfer coefficient using eight different parameterizations revealed that the parameterization used in this study - the Richards (2004) formulation - gives estimates that are similar to the average of all methods and are neither much lower nor much higher than the majority of other parameterizations and the largest differences occur for the very low values of daily dew yield. Trend analysis results revealed a significant (p < 0:05) negative trend in the yearly dew yield in most parts of Iran during the last 4 decades (1979-2018). Such a negative trend in dew formation is likely due to an increase in air temperature and a decrease in relative humidity and cloudiness over the 40 years. © 2021 Nahid Atashi et al.
Publication Date: 2021
Water Policy (13667017) 23(4)pp. 930-945
Population growth, along with climate change, has exacerbaed the water crisis in local communities. The simplest and quickest response of governments to such problems is direct intervention in local governance. Such solutions are usually proposed without regarding the indigenous knowledge of the local people. These also include top-down policies on water issues, which disrupt local institutional arrangements and eliminate the possibility of collective action by stakeholders in reaching an agreement. A case study of one of the water basins in Chaharmahal Bakhtiari in Iran (the Gorgak River in Sureshjan city) using an institutional analysis and development (IAD) framework shows that in the past, people acted collectively to solve the asymmetric distribution and drought problem. But government intervention, which initially sought to improve water conditions, has disrupted the region s institutional arrangements and power asymmetries between exploiters. Our study used the IAD framework to examine changes in institutional arrangements due to the introduction of technology and government intervention by the game theory. It clarifies that government intervention in local institutional arrangements, even if designed with the intention of improving conditions, may lead to greater inequality due to disregarding physical and social conditions and local knowledge. This inequality can eventually worsen the situation. © 2021 IWA Publishing. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2020
Acta Universitatis Carolinae, Geographica (03005402) 55(2)pp. 165-182
The knowledge of actual evapotranspiration at farm level is a prerequisite for irrigation planning, farm management, to increase production and reduce water consumption. To accomplish this, comprehensive and accurate assessment methods should be applied. In order to evaluate accurately evapotranspiration processes we compared lysimeter evapotranspiration data with MODIS (Aqua and Terra satellites) and LANDSAT (SEBAL algorithm) satellite images as well as with the FAO Penman-Montith method. The findings indicate the low error rate, high correlation (1) and appropriateness of SEBAL in estimating actual evapotranspiration. The error values MAD, MSE and RMSE between lysimeter and the SEBAL algorithm were 0.59, 0.36 and 0.60 respectively. The second best performance was established for the FAO Penman-Montith method. The obtained error values MAD, MSE and RMSE between the lysimeter and FAO-Penman-Montith method are 0.91, 1.29 and 1.13, respectively. © 2020 Karolinum - Nakladatelstvi Univerzity Karlovy. All rights reserved.
Atashi, N. ,
Rahimi, D. ,
Al kuisi, M. ,
Jiries, A. ,
Vuollekoski, H. ,
Kulmala, M. ,
Vesala, T. ,
Hussein, T. Publication Date: 2020
Water (Switzerland) (20734441) 12(8)
In this study, we performed model simulations to investigate the spatial, seasonal, and annual dew yield during 40 years (1979-2018) at ten locations reflecting the variation of climate and environmental conditions in Jordan. In accordance with the climate zones in Jordan, the dew formation had distinguished characteristics features with respect to the yield, seasonal variation, and spatial variation. The highest water dew yield (an overall annual mean cumulative dew yield as high as 88 mm) was obtained for the Mountains Heights Plateau, which has a Mediterranean climate. The least dew yield (as low as 19 mm) was obtained in Badia, which has an arid climate. The dew yield had a decreasing trend in the past 40 years due to climate change impacts such as increased desertification and the potential of sand and dust storms in the region. In addition, increased anthropogenic air pollution slows down the conversion of vapor to liquid phase change, which also impacts the potential of dew formation. The dew yield showed three distinguished seasonal patterns reflecting the three climates in Jordan. The Mountains Heights Plateau (Mediterranean climate) has the highest potential for dew harvesting (especially during the summer) than Badia (semi-arid climate). © 2020 by the authors.
Publication Date: 2020
Arabian Journal of Geosciences (discontinued) (18667538) 13(4)
Water level reduction of Urmia Lake Basin is the main problem in northwest of Iran during 2001–2017. Climate change and human activity have affected the water resources in this basin. In addition, continuing downward trend of water level in the Urmia Lake leads to hazard such as dust storm, lake drying, subsidence in plains, population immigration, and reduced production efficiency. Finding the causes of water level change is one of the challenges as to the unsustainability of the lake. Climate change, drought, dam construction, well drilling, land use change, land cover change, and the pattern of cultivations are inflectional here. The results of the Man-Kendall test indicate that the annual temperature (Z = 2.3, 95%) and frequency of droughts increased, and annual precipitation (Z = − 2.5, 95%) decreased. The results indicate that groundwater extraction increased from 374 to 2263.4 mcm, and the volume of dams increased from 198 to 1758 mcm (1961–2017). Surface water is reduced due to decreasing rainfall, increasing temperature, and drought frequency in the last decade. The comparison of these parameters with each other indicates high contribution of climate change and human activity in water level reduction of the subject lake. Restoration and sustainability of this lake are very important to the water management resources of Urmia Lake Basin. © 2020, Saudi Society for Geosciences.
Publication Date: 2019
Theoretical and Applied Climatology (0177798X) 137(3-4)pp. 2829-2839
An increase in greenhouse effect leads to climate change, a rise in sea levels, higher heat waves, an increase in extreme climatic frequency, an increase in wildfire risks, and other consequences pregnant with several different natural hazards. In Karoun River basin, SW Iran, climate change is likely to affect nearly every aspect of surface and underground water. The outputs from representative concentration pathways (RCPs) are applied in simulating the maximum and minimum temperature and rainfall changes in this basin. The assessments are tested based on the ability of models in reproducing the regional climatological trends. The best goodness of fit among RCP scenarios is involved through RCP 4.5. The simulated results of each scenario indicate a significant increase above 1 °C in the minimum temperature during warm months over most areas of the basin. The change in maximum temperature at most stations is linked to seasonal cold to warm transition months of the year. A reduction in autumn and winter rainfall and an increase in spring rainfall are expected for the coming three decades. The changes in rainfall pattern lead to a higher 24-h maximum precipitation which increases flooding probability especially at discharges greater than 2000 m3/s. © 2019, Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.
Atashi, N. ,
Rahimi, D. ,
Goortani, B.M. ,
Duplissy, J. ,
Vuollekoski, H. ,
Kulmala, M. ,
Vesala, T. ,
Hussein, T. Publication Date: 2019
Water (Switzerland) (20734441) 11(12)
Since water shortage has been a serious challenge in Iran, long-term investigations of alternative water resources are vital. In this study, we performed long-term (1979-2018) model simulation at seven locations (costal, desert, mountain, and urban conditions) in Iran to investigate temporal and spatial variation of dew formation. The model was developed to simulate the dew formation (water and ice) based on the heat and mass balance equation with ECMWF-ERA-Interim (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts-Re-Analysis) meteorological data as input. According to the model simulation, the maximum mean yearly cumulative dew yield (~65 L/m2) was observed in the mountain region in the north part of Iran with a yearly mean cumulative dew yield was ~36 L/m2. The dew yield showed a clear seasonal variation at all selected locations with maximum yields in winter (mean monthly cumulative 3-8 L/m2 depending on the location). Here we showed that dew formation is frequent in northern Iran. In other areas, where there was suffering from water-stress (southern and central parts of Iran), dew can be a utilized as an alternative source of water. The dew yield during 2001-2014 was lower than the overall mean during the past 40 years a result of climate change in Iran. © 2019 by the authors.
Publication Date: 2014
Advances in Environmental Biology (19950756) 8(16)pp. 60-66
In this research, amount of evaporation and transpiration and water requirement of wheat plant for Marvdasht town (representation station: Zaraghan) during 17-years statistical duration from 1989-2005 and properties of plant and soil are calculated using CROPWAT software. At the first, trends of dry and wet periods for mentioned station were determined using long-term average of climatic data (temperature and rainfall). In this town, 8 month from middle of the year is dry period. Hence, complementary irrigation is needed this time and most parts of these areas, which are cultivated as dry farming had to use underground waters inevitably. Decrease in rainfall in recent years intensified this issue and therefore, it resulted in intensive decline in level of underground waters and sinking of plains. Then, real transpiration and evaporation and irrigation requirement of wheat crop in the region is calculated using CROPWAT model. Based on obtained results from irrigation schedule in the station and according to dominance of dryness and humidity lack of soil, two or three complementary irrigation is required to preparing crops for harvest. © 2014 AENSI Publisher All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2012
Agris On-line Papers in Economics and Informatics (18041930) 2(3)pp. 1798-1806
Water quality is a key environmental issue concerning the agricultural sector. Here, the application of fuzzy set theory for decision-making in the assessment of groundwater quality for agricultural purposes is being discussed. The experiments conducted in this study area located, Shahrekord plain that, lies in the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, in the southwest Iran. Four groundwater parameters (EC, Mg, Na and Ca) are selected for water quality analysis and thematic maps are drawn for each of the parameters with the Kriging model. Different Fuzzy membership functions obtained from the related literature were employed and the weights for each parameter were calculated according to Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) that relies on pair wise comparisons. The Fuzzy theory showed 14.22% of the study area as having high groundwater quality, 19.86 % as having moderate quality, 48.90% as having margin quality and 16.99% as having poor quality. In order to evaluate the accuracy of this method, eight different points were randomly selected. It is concluded that the Fuzzy method allows for obtaining results that correspond to the current conditions in the study area. © 2010.
Publication Date: 2011
2pp. 799-806
Ground water, according to higher reliance coefficient and less fluctuations, has been used for many years. Precipitation is a major supplier of underground water resources and aquifers. So any changes in rainfall amount fluctuate underground water table depth. Occurrence of drought is the most important reason for the decrease of water table. To analyze the role of drought on underground water in Shahrekord plain rainfall and water table level were used during 1984-2008 period. The resualts shows a strong correlation between precipitation and water table. The Pearson correlation coefficent (r) is 0.80. The results showed that the water volume of Shahrekord plain greatly depends on the rainfall. So drought event causes the water resources crisis in this region. © SGEM2011 All Rights Reserved by the International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM.
University of Isfahan
Address: Isfahan, Azadi Square, University of Isfahan
