Assessment of agricultural groundwater users in Iran: a cultural environmental bias

Many environmental problems are rooted in human behavior. This study aimed to explore the causal effect of cultural environmental bias on ‘sustainable behavior’ among agricultural groundwater users in Fars province, Iran, according to Klockner’s comprehensive model. A survey-based research project was conducted to gathering data on the paradigm of environmental psychology. The sample included agricultural groundwater users (n = 296) who were selected at random within a structured sampling regime involving study areas that represent three (higher, medium and lower) bounds of the agricultural-groundwater-vulnerability spectrum. Results showed that the “environment as ductile (EnAD)” variable was a strong determinant of sustainable behavior as it related to groundwater use, and that EnAE had the highest causal effect on the behavior of agricultural groundwater users. The adjusted model explained 41% variance of “groundwater sustainable behavior”. Based on the results, the groundwater sustainable behaviors of agricultural groundwater users were found to be affected by personal and subjective norm variables and that they are influenced by casual effects of the “environment as ductile (EnAD)” variable. The conclusions reflect the Fars agricultural groundwater users’ attitude or worldview on groundwater as an unrecoverable resource; thus, it is necessary that scientific disciplines like hydrogeology and psycho-sociology be considered together in a comprehensive approach for every groundwater study.     

Estimation of depth of buried conductive sphere from electromagnetic induction anomaly data using linearization process

In this paper, we have developed a least-squares minimization method to estimate the depth of a buried conducting sphere using electromagnetic induction (EMI) data. This approach is basically based on the solving a set of algebraic linear equations to estimate the depth of sphere embedded in an insulating media. In electromagnetic induction method, the transmitter coil produces the incident magnetic and electric fields that obey the Maxwell’s equations. In the receiver coil, the received response is created in two modes—eddy-current mode (V _ec) derived from the perfectly conductor placed in the shallow depth and another mode called current-channeling response (V _cc) which depends on the conductivity of the medium. As expected, these responses differ depending on the direction of the incident field related to the receiver coil’s axis. In our case, the transmitter coil’s axis is parallel to the ground surface, and only the eddy-current response is measured in the receiver coil. The validity of this new method is demonstrated through studying and analyzing synthetic EMI anomalies, using simulated data generated from a known model with different random error components and a known statistical distribution.     

Flash flood hazard mapping based on quantitative hydrology,geomorphology and GIS techniques (case study of Wadi Al Lith,Saudi Arabia)

Flash floods are considered as catastrophic phenomena possessing major hazardous threat to the coastal cities, towns, villages and infrastructures. This study deals with the evaluation of flash flood hazard in the ungauged Wadi Al Lith basin depending on detailed morphometric characteristics of Al Lith basin and its sub-basins. For the detailed study, ASTER data were used for preparing digital elevation model (DEM), and geographical information system (GIS) was used in the evaluation of linear, areal and relief aspects of morphometric parameters. The major parameters such as watershed boundary, flow accumulation, flow direction, flow length and stream ordering are prepared using the ArcHydro Tool. Surface Tool in ArcGIS-10 software, and ASTER (DEM) was used to create different thematic maps such as DEM, contour, slope aspect and hill shade maps. Twenty-five morphometric parameters were measured, calculated and interlinked to produce nine effective parameters for evaluation of the flash flood hazard degree of the study area. Based on nine morphometric parameters which affect the hydrologic behaviour of the Wadi, by influence on time of concentration which has a direct influence on flooding prone area. The flash flood hazard of the Al Lith basin and its sub-basins was identified and classified into three groups (high, medium and low hazard degree). The study provides details on the flash flood-prone area (Wadi Al Lith) and the mitigation measures. This study also helps to plan rainwater harvesting and watershed management in the flash flood alert zones.     

Correction to: New climatic zones in Iran: a comparative study of different empirical methods and clustering technique

Theoretical and Applied Climatology -     

Development of a new wavelet-based hybrid model to forecast multi-scalar SPEI drought index (case study: Zanjan city,Iran)

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - Drought forecasting plays a vital role in managing drought and reducing its effects on agricultural systems and water resources. In the present study, three...     

Estimation of groundwater recharge in arid, data scarce regions; an approach as applied in the El Hawashyia basin and Ghazala sub-basin (Gulf of Suez, Egypt)

In this study, an approach for runoff and recharge estimations that can be applied in arid regions which suffer from lack of data is presented. Estimating groundwater recharge in arid regions is an extremely important but difficult task, the main reason is the scarcity of data in arid regions. This is true for the Eastern Egyptian Desert where groundwater is used for irrigation purposes in agricultural reclamation along the Red Sea coast line. As a result of the scarcity of hydrologic information, the relation between rainfall and runoff was calculated depending on the paleo-flood hydrology information. Two models were used to calculate the rainfall–runoff relationships for El Hawashyia basin and Ghazala sub-basin. Two computer programs known as Gerinne (meaning channel in German) and SMADA6 (Stormwater Management and Design Aid, version 6) were conjunctively used for this purpose. As a result of the model applied to El Hawashyia basin, a rainfall event of a total of 18.3 mm with duration 3 h at the station of Hurghada, which has an exceedance probability of 5–10 %, produces a discharge volume of 10.2 × 10⁶ m³ at the delta, outlet of the basin, as 4.7 mm of the rainfall infiltrates (recharge). For the Ghazala sub-basin, the model yields a runoff volume of 3.16 × 10⁶ m³ transferred from a total rainfall of 25 mm over a period of 3 h, as 3.2 mm of it was lost as infiltration.     

Ranking the rock slope instability potential using the Interaction Matrix (IM) technique; a case study in Iran

All the conventional techniques for the analysis of slope stability ranging from simple kinematic analysis using stereonets, to the various widely used limit equilibrium methods, to sophisticated numerical methods belong to a category that are generally known as the analytic approaches and thus are only able to consider a limited number of affecting factors and then solve the problem in details. In contrast, the systems approaches not only can examine the problem in its totality with a complete list of the components, but also can take the interactions between the factors into account. This paper presents a complete application of a well-known systems technique named the Interaction Matrix (IM) in ranking the instability potential of rock slopes of the Khosh-Yeylagh Main Road, Iran as the case study of the research. For this purpose, 15 stations have been selected and a relatively comprehensive database containing the fieldwork information has been constructed. Following the IM technique, the most important factors relating to the general environment and to the rock mass characteristics have been considered. Their reciprocal causes and effects have been analyzed in order to weight each parameter according to its degree of interactivity in the system. Then, the slope instability index has been calculated which refers to the inherent potential instability of each slope of the examined region. The final instability ranking has been presented for the investigated slopes in Khosh-Yeylagh Main Road based on a simple classification. The main aim of the study is to extend the use of systems approach and specifically the IM technique in slope stability analysis. Also, this research shows the importance of consideration of an approximately complete set of key parameters affecting the stability of rock slopes.     

Geodetic constraints on the period of episodic tremors and slips using least squares harmonic estimation method with application to Cascadia subduction zone

It is expected that episodic tremors and slips (ETS) as a type of slow earthquakes with periodic property will be detected using harmonic estimation techniques. The principal goal of this paper is the detection of these kinds of earthquakes using least squares harmonic estimation (LSHE). To accomplish this, the raw time series of 38 permanent GPS stations of the Pacific Northwest Geodetic Array have been analyzed. Previously, some independent techniques could confirm the occurrences of the aforementioned quakes at these stations. However, the current research intends to evaluate the spectrum of each of the de-trended time series using the LS-HE method. In each station, the period of the detected harmonic with the maximum power spectrum is equivalent to the average period previously reported for these events. According to the obtained results, the recurrence interval of these events ranges from 9 months to 3 years. In sum, the study confirms this method being efficient for investigating the occurrences of ETSs when the length of the GPS time series is sufficiently large.     

Calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy of the Paleocene at the Misheiti section,East Central Sinai,Egypt

Integration of calcareous nannofossil data, δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values, and carbonate contents of the lower Paleocene–upper Paleocene sequence that crops out at the Misheiti section, East Central Sinai, Egypt, were used to denote the Danian/Selandian (D/S) and Selandian/Thanetian (S/T) stage boundaries. The study interval belongs to the Dakhla and Tarawan formations. Four calcareous nannofossil zones (NP4, NP5, NP6, and NP7/8) were recognized. The base of the Selandian Stage is tentatively placed at the lowest occurrences (LOs) of taxa ascribable to the second radiation of fasciculiths (i.e., Lithoptychius janii). This level is marked by a sudden drop of δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values and carbonate content. No distinctive lithological changes were observed across the D/S boundary at the study section. A hiatus at the NP5/NP6 zonal boundary is indicated by the condensation of zones NP5 and NP6.The base of the Thanetian is placed at the base of Zone NP7/8 at the lithological change observed in correspondence to the boundary between the Dakhla and Tarawan formations. The δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values abruptly decrease slightly above the base of Zone NP7/8. No consistent variations in the carbonate contents were recorded within Zone NP6 or across the NP6/NP7/8 zonal boundary.