Homayoun Khoshravan
Abstract
Extended Abstract:
Introduction
Increased density of Co2 in the atmosphere during the Anthropocene epoch has resulted in pervasive concerns for the global environment. Global warming has resulted in sea level rise and coastal flooding. Forecasting has indicated that a vast area of coastal countries ...
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Extended Abstract:
Introduction
Increased density of Co2 in the atmosphere during the Anthropocene epoch has resulted in pervasive concerns for the global environment. Global warming has resulted in sea level rise and coastal flooding. Forecasting has indicated that a vast area of coastal countries and their economic and social infrastructureswill be damaged due to 200 cm sea level rise by2100. Sea level rise in oceans has caused coastal erosion and flooding. Thus, it is considered as a real threat to coastal environment. The Caspian Sea environment has reacted differently to climate changesduring the last 70 years and vast areas of its coastal lagoons have dried. Therefore, the present study primarily seeks toinvestigate ecological variations of coastal habitats in the Gorgan Bay during the period of 1995 to 2019.
Materials and methods
Gorgan Bay and Miankaleh Lagoon are considered to be among global biosphere reservesand the most important protected areasalong the southern coasts of the Caspian Sea. The present study has evaluated coastal variations, such as shoreline displacement, changes in the depth of sea bed, land cover and coastal habitats using satellite images and GIS processing. Shorelines of Gorgan Bay are determined usingremote sensing software Envi 5.3, while land cover and coastal habitats are evaluated through GIS processing in Arc – Map 10. 5. The shoreline is determined through the calculationsperformedonthe proportion of green and blue bands in reflected electromagnetic waves and histogram thresholding of near infrared (NIR) spectrum in Envi 5.3. The total area of Gorgan Bay was determinedusingthe Normalized Distance Water Index (NDWI).The most important land covers and coastal habitats are classified using Support Vector Machine (SVM). Finally,variations of coastal habitats are calculated using Change Detection Workflow index and the final maps areproduced in Arc Map 10.5.
Results and discussion
Results indicate that due to about 150 cm decrease in the Caspian Sea level from 1995 to 2019, the total area ofGorgan Bay has faced about 176 km decrease. Bathymetric maps shows that the depth of Gorgan Bay has decreased dramatically along the East to west side. The depth of the Ashouradeh and Chopoghlei inlets have also decreased and vast areas of these water bodies haveturned into arid islands. The Gorgan Bay is connected to the Caspian Sea through some narrow channels. The most important land covers and coastal habitats of the Gorgan Bay in 2019 include sandy beach (2%), salt marsh (7%), brackish marsh (14%), wetland (15%), mudflat (7%), coastal forest (10%) and coastal lagoons (45%). The total area of coastal lagoons, vegetation covering and sandy beaches have decreased from 1995 to 2019 and the area of the brackish marsh, salt marsh, mud flat and pit wetlands have increased at the same time. The total area of sandy beaches have decreased about 52 Km2 since 1995.Instead,the area covered by salt marshes and brackish marshes have increased by about 87 and 60 Km2 during the same period.62 Km2 of mud flat have been created during the same time,and thus, the area of Miankaleh Lagoon and Gorgan Bay have decreased by about 176 Km2. The environment of Gorgan Bay and Miankaleh Lagoon is directly related to the fluctuations in theCaspian Sea level. Survival of these coastal lagoons depends on permanent water exchange between the Caspian Sea and Gorgan Bay. Rapid fluctuations of the Caspian Sea level and high levelof deposition are considered to be among the most important factorsof coastal habitats destruction and ecosystems displacement. These natural phenomena happened twice during the Anthropocene period (1945- 1978 and 1995-2019).
Conclusion
Results have confirmed that arid ecosystems have replaced aquatic ecosystems in study area. The main results of the study have confirmed that the fluctuation in the Caspian Sea level has direct impact on coastal habitats of the study area and decreasing sea level could change marginal ecosystems. Due to the decrease in water exchange volume rate between the Caspian Sea and Gorgan Bay during the 1995- 2019 period, a 32 percent decrease has happened in the area ofGorgan Bay and salt marshes have dominated along the Gorgan Bay coastal area. Unfortunately, the continual decrease inthe Caspian Sea level can destroy biodiversity and coastal habitats in the future. Therefore,integrated coastal zone management (ICZM (is influential insaving and preserving of the Gorgan Bay.
Sohrab Asgari; Farzaneh Sadeghi; Zahra Khanmohammadi
Volume 23, Issue 89 , May 2014, , Pages 17-25
Abstract
The Persian Gulf consists of 8 coastal countries and a water body of 240000 km. Coastal countries do not have the same access to this body of water which has caused some problems with dangerous environmental consequences. Persian Gulf (formerly known as Persian Sea) has specific natural and environmental ...
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The Persian Gulf consists of 8 coastal countries and a water body of 240000 km. Coastal countries do not have the same access to this body of water which has caused some problems with dangerous environmental consequences. Persian Gulf (formerly known as Persian Sea) has specific natural and environmental situations and is thus very different from other seas and water bodies. Because of these differences, United Nation environment office ratified Kuwait convention, so that coastal countries act more sensitively in preserving Persian Gulf environment. In recent decades, Persian Gulf environment has faced many losses and damages due to inappropriate human activities. Because of these devastating activities, the unique ecosystem of this sea is being destroyed. The destructions are quite widespread and includes different activities. Some countries have transformed their sea coasts and thus increased environmental devastation of the sea. The present article has endeavor to investigate Persian Gulf’s natural and environmental situation, while reviewing its position in the United Nation convention on Law of the Sea (1982) analytically and scientifically. It also mentions the coastal countries responsibilities in maintaining this sea.
Sohrab Asgari
Volume 22, Issue 85 , May 2013, , Pages 79-96
Abstract
Managing a country is one of the most important issues in the world. This aim will achieve through evealuated and scientific planning processes. Good fulfillment of the plans will cause positive results. In Iran, palnning and territory management has a long history. In contemporary era, planning was ...
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Managing a country is one of the most important issues in the world. This aim will achieve through evealuated and scientific planning processes. Good fulfillment of the plans will cause positive results. In Iran, palnning and territory management has a long history. In contemporary era, planning was an organization agenda from the Qajar period,. In Reza shah's kingdom planning was an important issue General information office and Statistics Bureau were the first offices founded. Applying regional planning approach was the first steps in governmental economic programs, 5 years planning policy was applied in the Pahlavi period. The Islamic revolution metamorphosed all former political and social structures. Because of Mismanaging of main affaires in the country, many devastating crises appeared. One of the mismanaging was encouraging population increase. Some sensitive laws were ratified and as a result, a migration trend in a vast shape emptied many villages and caused slum and shanty town. Imposed war and international embargoes were 2 samples of big crisis which accelerated migrations. To face job cuts, and also to produce more strategic crops, idea for cultivating in pasture lands and grass lands was approved, This was a formal aggression forests and pasture lands bases. This aggression caused soil erosion in the country and millions tons of soil erode and destroy completely. Deforestation is the main cause of floods in recent years. In other sides mismanaging has caused environmental disasters around the country. The main issue of this article is evaluating of political decision impacts in geographical space organizating from environmental viewpoint in the country in recent decades.
Ali Hassanvandi
Volume 21, Issue 82 , September 2012, , Pages 89-91
Abstract
Currently, there is an increased global interest in influences and consequences of some agricultural activities performed to improve the production level, like increasing amount of inputs such as chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, etc. on the environment and society. Furthermore, wastewater ...
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Currently, there is an increased global interest in influences and consequences of some agricultural activities performed to improve the production level, like increasing amount of inputs such as chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, etc. on the environment and society. Furthermore, wastewater produced by washing stockyards and chicken farms create a large and widespread area covered by different kinds of pollutions.
It has been estimated that less than 1 percent of poison used in America is practically used for pests and the other 99 percent are wasted and released in the environment. 20 years ago every extra ton of fertilizer would add 15 to 20 tons to the global crop production, but today the same amount of extra fertilizer increase the production by only 5 to 10 tons (Hosseini, Shariati, Jihad Sh 258). Environmental factor is one of the factors that should be considered in rural development, as preserving the environment and its values in the face of various pollutions and destructions is very important. In performing rural development plan, soil and water degradation must be avoided with all means.
The present article studies and investigates environmental issues like soil erosion, forest degradation, chemical poisons and fertilizers, etc. in rural development. Afterwards, the importance and necessity of biological issues in rural development, case study and finally the consequences are analyzed.
Parivash Karami
Volume 21, Issue 82 , September 2012, , Pages 110-112
Abstract
According to the Greek scholar, Eratosthenes (194 BC), geography is the study of Earth as the place for human beings. In studying the Earth, geography faces different physical and human factors.Human-environment relation is the underlying concept of geography. Environment consists of natural, human and ...
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According to the Greek scholar, Eratosthenes (194 BC), geography is the study of Earth as the place for human beings. In studying the Earth, geography faces different physical and human factors.Human-environment relation is the underlying concept of geography. Environment consists of natural, human and social environments in which human beings have multiple actions and roles to play. Understanding the environment and using geographic capacities and capabilities like seas, lakes, ponds, waterfalls, forests, plantations, mountains, and sacred, ancient and cultural centers, it is possible to attract tourists and endeavor for development and income increase. As the main element of tourism in spatial crystallization, environment plays an important role in attracting tourists and provide diverse tools. Generally, the focus of geographic environment is on society and it is not possible to separate physical and spatial conditions. Every geographic perspective reveals human consistency and alignment with spatial conditions. Since every geographic area has its specific features, natural and cultural attractions are formed in accordance with them and thus there are different areas of tourism.
Mohammad Ghasemi Siani; Hossein Kalantari Khalil Abad
Volume 20, Issue 80 , February 2012, , Pages 72-78
Abstract
Rural areas account for a large part of the population and natural and biological areas of the country and play a major role in the economic and social life of the country. In this regard, the rural environment needs a special attention in the process of planning sustainable rural development and improving ...
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Rural areas account for a large part of the population and natural and biological areas of the country and play a major role in the economic and social life of the country. In this regard, the rural environment needs a special attention in the process of planning sustainable rural development and improving the quality of the environment. Environment is one of the sensitive and vulnerable dimensions of villages that are less affected by pollutants than cities. However, the expansion of urban consumption patterns and the influx of some urban pollutants into rural areas and the change in the pattern of consumption in villagers have led to environmental and healthy life degradation in rural areas.
In this article, the aim is to provide strategies for improving the rural environment which has been studied through descriptive-analytical method of the subject. Also, considering the role of public participation in protecting the rural environment and achieving sustainable rural development, issues including rural waste management methods, rural green space management and rural wastewater disposal methods have been addressed as effective factors in protecting the rural environment and creating healthy life. Noting that many villages in the country have not properly implemented appropriate methods of environmental protection such as waste disposal, sewage disposal and green space management, and their poor performance in attracting public participation, the sustainable development of villages has not come to fruition. The results of this paper show that if the correct way of protecting the environment is applied in the villages, many diseases common in villages will be eradicated and the villages will become closer to sustainable development.
Esma'il Salehi; Saeed Negahban; Zohreh Ja'farian Dehkordi
Volume 19, Issue 76 , February 2011, , Pages 29-33
Abstract
Cities are open systems that have always been the origin of change and are themselves changing and evolving, and given the growing population of cities in today's world, the physical space of the city has also expanded and occupied the surrounding land. The physical growth of cities has absorbed and ...
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Cities are open systems that have always been the origin of change and are themselves changing and evolving, and given the growing population of cities in today's world, the physical space of the city has also expanded and occupied the surrounding land. The physical growth of cities has absorbed and destroyed high-quality land. Human societies have been established in the early stages of formation with the aim of using high quality soils for agriculture, alongside or among high quality agricultural land. Over time, along with the expansion of the villages and their conversion into cities, and then the development of cities, high-quality agricultural lands have been added to the urban area and agricultural activities are retreating to poor lands. This article tries to understand the environmental impacts of urban development using a method based on secondary sources, and the results show that this issue is taking place continuously in parts of the suburbs of any city with potential of development and expansion. This physical growth of cities causes the destruction of the environmental balance between the city and its surroundings, which not only reduces the quantity and quality of resources and living conditions, but also causes major complications such as air and water pollution, noise pollution, and In general, the destruction of the environment.
