Shirin Mohammahkhan; Hamid Ganjaeian; Laila Garosi; Zahra Zanganetabar
Abstract
Extended Abstract
Introduction
The land subsidence is the descending or collapse of the land under the influence of natural and human factors. The land subsidence is one of the issues that are being exacerbated by human factors, including excessive exploitation of groundwater. Subsidence can affect ...
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Extended Abstract
Introduction
The land subsidence is the descending or collapse of the land under the influence of natural and human factors. The land subsidence is one of the issues that are being exacerbated by human factors, including excessive exploitation of groundwater. Subsidence can affect many constructions and facilities, causing problems for the industry, the environment, etc. This phenomenon is one of the most important environmental hazards that have been less considered than other natural phenomena due to the low human losses. The Qorveh plain is considered as one of the plains which have been introduced as a forbidden plain in the province of Kurdistan in recent years due to the over-exploitation of groundwater. Considering the amount of groundwater level drop and its direct impact on the subsidence level of the region, the present study evaluates the subsidence rate of the Qorveh plain during the period of 2017.12.19 to 2016.01.11. In this research, in order to evaluate the status of the groundwater drop, the statistical data from the Regional Water Organization of Kurdistan province has been used, and the Sentinel-1 images and the SBAS method were used (due to the unique capabilities of this method in terms of dimension, cost, time and accuracy compared to other remote sensing techniques) to estimate the subsidence rate of the region.
Material and Methods
In this research, first, the status of the groundwater of the Qorveh plain and the drop rate of its level has been investigated. Then, the subsidence rate of the area and its relation with the groundwater drop has been investigated. Radar interferometry and SBAS were used to evaluate the subsidence of the study area. Radar interferometry method is one of the most powerful tools for monitoring the subsidence phenomenon. By comparing the phases of two radar images taken from a region at two different times, this method can determine the land surface changes at that time interval. The phase taken from a feature on the land surface is proportional to its distance to the radar sensor. Therefore, making any changes in this distance affects the measured phase. In this research, the Sentinel-1 images (2017.12.19 and 2016.01.11) have been used to perform the radar interferometry.
Discussion and results
The hydrograph of the alluvial aquifer of the Qorveh plain has been provided for the water years of 1966-1676 to 2010-2011. During the 24 yeas, the groundwater level fluctuations in this plain are -13.29 meters, with an annual average of -0.55 meters. The least rate of dropping in the wells is in the wells located south of the Qorveh plain, and the rate increases toward the eastern and northeastern parts. In this research, the subsidence rate of the Qorveh Plain was estimated from 2017.12.19 to 2016.01.11 using the SBAS method. The final map indicates that during this period, the study area subsided between +61 and 216 cm, with the lowest subsidence occurring in the southern areas of the Qorveh plain, which corresponding to the sedimentary heights and slopes of Badr and Parishan and the rate has increased toward the east and west of the Qorveh plain.
Conclusion
The results of this study indicate that Qorveh Plain has witnessed a sharp drop in groundwater level over the recent years. Considering that the southern parts of the Qorveh plain corresponds to the heights and slopes of Badr and Parishan, and the rate of exploiting groundwater in these parts is lower, the rate of subsidence is less. The plain has also subsided further towards theeastern, western and northern parts and the outlet of the Shoor River, due to the growing increase of exploitation. The results indicate that the rate of subsidence is consistent with the rate of groundwater drop so that in the southern part which corresponds to the Badr and Parishan slopes, the rate was less than 10 millimeters during the period of 2017.12.19 to 2016.01.11. The results of the SBAS method indicate that the study area had subsidence of 216 mm during the 2 years and also a 61 mm uplift. Based on the final result, the highest rate of subsidence was related to the eastern and western parts of Qorveh plain and on the outskirts of the city of Dezaj and the villages of Ghasem-Abad, Shokuh-Abad, Avangan, Ganji, and others. A series of the aforementioned factors suggests that the Qorveh plain subsides about 20 centimeters per year. This is due to the over-exploitation of the groundwater. Unlike some areas where the displacement (subsidence and uplift) is due to the tectonic conditions, the results of this study have shown that in the Qorveh plain, the subsidence has a direct relationship to the drop of the groundwater. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the use of groundwater, especially in the agricultural sector, and the rate of the exploitation should be proportional to the amount of recharge because in addition to the water shortage problems, the continuous use of the groundwater can lead to the irreversible risks of subsidence.
Shirin Mohammahkhan; Hamid Ganjaeian; Somaieh Shahri; Amirali Abbaszade
Abstract
Extended Abstract Introduction Cities have always been under the influence of various factors and developed under such conditions. Countries around the world are increasingly moving toward urbanization. Physical development of cities occurs in the form of human activities or changes in urban (or rural) ...
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Extended Abstract Introduction Cities have always been under the influence of various factors and developed under such conditions. Countries around the world are increasingly moving toward urbanization. Physical development of cities occurs in the form of human activities or changes in urban (or rural) land use, and lead to widespread use of lands and adverse environmental effects. In some cases, urban growth leads to environmental hazards and threats human societies. Although the effects of natural factors such as geomorphological phenomena have not been scientifically considered in the development of the study area, there factors had a leading role in this development. Due to geomorphological situation, elevations and steep areas, scattered fault lines and rivers full of water, development of human settlements in the study area faces many constraints. Therefore, it is necessary to plan urban development in the study area based on the geomorphological situation of the region. Accordingly, the present study seeks to evaluate the trend of changes occurred from 1992 to 2017 in the residential districts of Marivan. It also aims to determine the extent of urban growth towards areas facing geomorphological hazards, and finally to predict this trend for 2035. Materials and Methods The present study takes advantage of an analytical and statistical research method, along with the necessary software. Moreover, it seeks to study the trend of urban development from 1992 to 2017, and also predict the future trend of development for 2035. Thus, satellite images received in June 1992, 2001, 2011, and 2017 are collected. After preprocessing the images, a land use map is extracted based on the situation of the study area in 1992, 2001. 2011 and 2017. Then, based on these maps and using effective variables, a map is produced based on the predictions made for the residential areas in 2035 by LCM model. Modeling and prediction are performed using LCM model in four steps: 1. Examination of Land Use Changes; 2. Mapping Potential Transfer using Markov Chain. 3. Extracting a predictive map. 4. Evaluating the accuracy of prediction. After predicting and extracting a map of residential areas for each time period, distribution of geomorphologic hazards in these areas is evaluated. In fact, development trend of high risk residential areas has been evaluated. Discussion and Results A large part of the study area is mountainous, and these elevations have somehow limited the development of human settlements. Since the present study seeks to determine the trend of human settlements development in areas facing geomorphological hazards, a map has been extracted for these prohibited areas before evaluating the trend of development. These prohibited areas have been mapped in order to identify hazardous areas, and to evaluate development of residential settlements toward these areas. To prepare this map, multiple criteria have been selected based on the situation in the region and experts’ opinion. Then in accordance with the purpose of this research, an information layer was produced using these criteria. Regarding geomorphology, regions with an altitude of more than 1700 m, slopes of more than 30%, north-south direction of the slope, area within 1000 m radii around fault lines and within 200 m radii around rivers are referred to as prohibited areas. After determining prohibited areas, human settlements in the study area were mapped based on 1992, 2001, 2011, and 2017 information. Then, trend of settlement development in prohibited areas was estimated and projected for 2035. Conclusion Based on the evaluation of results, there is an increasing demographic trend from 1992 to 2017, so that residential area has increased from 7.8 km in 1992 to 10.9 km in 2017. Maximum development occurred from 2001 to 2011. During this period, settlements developed 3.6 km2 and reached around 14.5 km2 in 2011. From 2011 to 2017, settlements area reached 16.6 km2. Apart from the increasing trend of development in residential areas during these years, this development has mostly occurred toward hazardous areas. So that in 1992, around 1.7 km2 of total residential area was located in prohibited areas, most of which included steeped areas and rivers’ border lines. In 2001 and 2011, this trend has increased from 2.3 to 2.9 km2, and reached 3.3 km2 in 2017. Considering the increasing trend of population toward Marivan, increased constructions in peri-urban and rural areas of Marivan and also along the main road of this city, development of settlements toward prohibited areas has mostly occurred in these areas. According to the main purpose of the present research, development of residential areas is projected for 2035 based on land use in pre-specified years. Results indicate that total area of settlements will increase to about 24.3 km2 in 2035, about 5.7 km2 of which will be in prohibited areas.
