Geography and Environmental Planning
Year:2018 | Volume:29 | Issue:1 (69) |Papers Count:12

Soil erosion can lead to deterioration of soil quality and hence reduces soil productivity. Adoption of soil conservation practices can play a critical role in reducing soil erosion and improving soil fertility.While adoption of soil conservation measures is highly depend on farmer’s awareness about soil erosion impacts and causes. Therefore, in a survey answered by 273 randomly-selected farmers which were selected by Cochran formula from 15 villages of Chehel-Chay Watershed and awareness and knowledge about soil erosion impacts and causes on usage of soil conservation measures were investigated. The majority of the farmers (85%) believe that erosion could be controlled, and they use numerous range of practices for erosion control and fertility improvement. These include contour plowing (32.2%), planting seeds by hand (24.4.0%), minimum tillage (23.8%), grass buffer strips (23.4%) and crop rotation (20.9%). Although these conservation measures were more used in the area, it appears that most farmers have perceived favorable effectiveness towards practices such no-tillage, sprinkler irrigation system, permanent surface cover crops, contour plowing and terracing. Results of one-sample t-test reveal that farmers are well aware of the adverse impacts and causes of soil erosion.The result of regression analysis showed that adoption and usage of conservation measures was influenced more by perceived effectiveness of conservation measures, knowledge on causes of soil erosion and awareness of soil erosion impacts and causes of soil erosion. The research concludes that despite favorable knowledge about impacts and causes of soil erosion, it appears that effectiveness of existing measures is not acceptable. Thus, under the current conditions, the awareness of the adverse impacts and causes of soil erosion is not fully reflected in usage of more effective conservation practices.

The study of wind erosion in desert areas and the devaluation of the habitats in it is a subject that has been underestimated. Paying attention to the importance of animal species and describing the scientific relationship between the intensity of wind erosion and the status of habitats of desert areas are the main goals of this research. For this purpose, first, desert areas of Ghahavand region were selected in the eastern part of Hamedan province. Then, the 9 factors affecting wind erosion including: lithology, landform, elevation, velocity, wind condition, soil texture, non-lining of soil surface, type and distribution of wind deposits, and land management were studied. Based on the IRIFR.EA Model, seven units of work including: medium-sized pigeon plains (coniferous), stabilized hills, clay plains, fine or puffy salt zones, active hills, land-change, and rural change were identified and the map of geomorphic units was prepared. In order to evaluate the intensity of wind erosion in each unit of work, nine effective factors in wind erosion were graded and the regional map was prepared. The animal species of the area were evaluated based on field observations and current available reports. The approximate value of each habitat in the region was evaluated based on three variables of food, water, and security (human impacts) via using a questionnaire, experts' opinions, and the Delphi method. Then, analysis was done by determining the correlation between the values of each animal habitat with the average amount of wind erosion in that habitat. The results showed that the highest score was related to the land use change and the salt zones of fine or puff grain and the lowest score to the rural land. It was also found that 7.4% of the area is in low erosion level, 23.59% in moderate erosion level, and 69.35% in extreme erosion level. There was an inverse linear and logarithmic correlation (ln) between the amount of wind erosion (wes) and the value of the habitat (WH). This means that the effective factors in increasing the amount of wind erosion on the quality of the habitat have a significant and reverse correlation that decrease the value of the habitat. So, with the increase of wind erosion in the area, water resources, food, and vegetation security either would be lost or limited and caused migration and reduced species diversity and habitat degradation.

The problem of instability is the major concerns of cities and especially urban areas so that in today's urban society, in order to achieve a sustainable development of the city, the neighborhoods are the most fundamental elements of the city and the link between the city and the citizens. Therefore, the study of the stability of neighborhoods and the use of its results can be fruitful in sustainable development. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to measure the neighborhood sustainability criteria in Ardabil. The research method was descriptive-analytical and the statistical population was five peri-urban neighborhoods, which were villages before, and following the horizontal expansion of the city, they have been added to the city of Ardabil. Statistical population of 378 people were randomly selected by Cochran formula to determine the sample size of the study. In each neighborhood, according to their population, a questionnaire on the status of neighborhood stability was distributed and completed. In this study, one-sample T-test, independent T-test, one-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis test, multiple regression, and path analysis model were used. The findings indicated that target areas were unstable in terms of sustainability criteria and the individual characteristics affect the stability of the neighborhoods. Also, economic and social criteria had the most impact on the stability of the neighborhoods, and the least of them was related to environmental criteria. Also, the most important reasons for the instability of these neighborhoods was the lack of attention of urban managers in providing neighborhood services.

Environmental planning aims to sustain and create the necessary environment for reducing urban environmental pollution. This type of planning from a thematic perspective is a tool for dealing with environmental pollution in cities and neighborhoods. In the city of Hamedan, due to the general shape of the city that is radial, the traffic has increased to the first ring. The result of this congestion and the frequency of traffic is the occurrence of environmental problems in these neighborhoods, including the Aghajani Beig neighborhood. The purpose of this study is environmental planning for environmental sustainability in Aghajani Beig neighborhood. This research is purposeful, applied and methodically descriptive-analytical. After identifying and compiling the dimensions, indicators and variables of the research were collected through the library method, information through field studies (observation) and measurement of environmental criteria affecting sustainability (use of information recorded by the Urban Air Pollution Record Station located in the Environmental Protection Agency Bio-Hamedan, Using the Casellacel Sound Meter Model Cel450 manufactured by the UK in accordance with international standards, Urban Routine Quality Based on the Measurement of Immediate Sampling. The COD and BOD5 quality parameters and other indicators are also based on the information of the above-mentioned schemes for evaluation). In order to gather information first, using the environmental indicators in the neighborhood scale, which are extracted from theoretical bases, the most important indicators affecting environmental sustainability in the Aghajani Beig neighborhood were identified and prioritized. The environmental indicators examined are categorized into two categories of land use and environmental quality index. These include: air pollution, noise pollution, surface runoff pollution, green space, land use diversity, density and access to local public services. The value of each indicator is specified in a range between one to five that exhibits different levels of sustainability. The results of this study indicated that the studied area is in the medium to long-term stability situation. The reason for this value is the effect of indices related to land use on environmental quality indices, so that the sustainability level of the environmental quality indices in the studied area is lower than the average and therefore the range is not in a favorable situation due to the sustainability level of the environmental quality indices.

Determining the location of the different areas in the national division of labor and the structure of industry in the country is of particular importance. One of the most important elements of industrial structure is geographic concentration. As in most studies related to regional development, spatial concentration and regional specialization are considered as two sides of a coin. This research aimed to analyze the patterns of regional specialization and geographic concentration of industries in the country in the period 1997–2011, to answer the question of whether between regional specialization and geographic concentration, there is a significant relationship. To achieve the goal of research, various techniques such as Gini coefficient and location quotient were taken into consideration. The results indicated that the average of spatial concentration during the studied period increased by 21 percent which means that the manufacturing industries tend to become geographically concentrated. However, it seems that this concentration in 2011 tended towards the provinces such as Khorasan, Yazd, and Khuzestan. Finally, the results showed that there is a direct relation between geographical concentration and regional specialization in Iran and the concentrated provinces have become specialized in concentrated industries as well. Thus, the division of space in some regions of Iran formed.

Assessment of environmental sustainability as an important tool in sustainable development planning process and therefore paying attention to it is inevitable in policies and programs to achieve a proper planning that is consistent with the natural environment variables. One of the main factors of environmental sustainability is air pollution. Due to the increasing population, energy consumption, pollution caused by transport systems, and the increasing number of vehicles, industrial, and mining activities, Isfahan has double importance in environmental issues, particularly air pollution. So, the aim of the present study is to evaluate the environmental sustainability of Isfahan with an emphasis on air pollution. According to the research data, the research type is applied research and data collection was the library one. To display and analyze the data, Excel and MATLAB software was used. In this study, five main indicators of air pollution including: the average of carbon monoxide, the average of sulfur dioxide, the average Nitrogen gas, the average of ozone, and the average of particulate matter under 10 microns were studied during the years 1386 to 1390. The FPPSI model was used to assess sustainability. The results indicate that the environmental condition in terms of air pollution in the years 1386 to 1390 has led to instability so that the year 1390 has the highest rate of pollution. Based on the results of the investigation, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide had an impact on environmental instability of Isfahan more than any other pollutants.

Today, one of the most significant health and environmental problems in cities is the ascending trend of solid wastes. To overcome this problem, it must be managed and turned into institutionalization of phenomena such as recycling, compost production, energy recovery and biogas from solid urban wastes. By considering more than 65 percent of organic wastes in Fars province represents the need for investment in the compost production sector. The process of determining spatial desirability for the establishment of composting units requires the consideration of multiple criteria, which makes the use of multi-criteria analysis models and techniques inevitable. Accordingly, due to the nature of multi criteria status in the noted problem, in this paper, by choosing Fars province as a case study and using 18 criteria that has been weighted, evaluated and standardized, we have tried to test the application of TOPSIS model in the experimental field of research and the resulting output has been presented in the form of classified spatial suitability of land for the deployment of composting units. Accordingly, as much as the pixel values represent a lower number, the pixel desirability is reduced. In the output map, each pixel with the score closer to 1 indicates the preferred pixel conditions for the establishment of the compost production unit, which is proportional to the need to allocate land to a given site within a specified range and subject to the constraints of the relevant limitation which can be a guide for decision makers to locate composting units.

Although many researchers believe the dominating climatic systems in Iran in the past cold and warm eras are similar to our contemporary era, but all believe that the their operating domain and their shares in supplying water resources in Iran have been under extensive changes and fluctuations. It is said that these fluctuations in our age are mostly due to human performance, and its consequences have already become weaker. In this paper, it has been tried to determine the contribution of Iran's atmospheric precipitation to Mediterranean systems - Caspian, Sudanese - Persian Gulf and Monsoon - Omani by means of analyzing the average rainfall data of Iran during a 50-year statistical period. The findings of this study, which are the result of a research project at Najafabad Islamic Azad University, show that: of the 415 billion cubic meters of precipitation, Iran has the highest moisture contribution for the Mediterranean-Caspian Sea system with 240 cubic meters. Then the contribution of the Sudanese-Persian Gulf system to 152 cubic meters, and only 22.5 cubic meters of these precipitation is related to humidity injected from the Sea of Oman and monsoon systems. Ups and downs in Iran not only have changed the distribution of atmospheric water resources in Iran, but also controlled the historical management of water resources in Iran. The heating of Iran's temperature in the next few decades would be assumed to be unaffected by the blue contribution of atmospheric atmospheric systems. It can be said with certainty that the capacity of natural water storage in Iran's territorial zone will be reduced to a one-thirds increase in temperature, and these changes will put civilian presence in central Iran at serious risk.

Hydrologic changes of the nature will gradually cause changes in conditions and morphology of rivers. Dalki River is one of the rivers that is current in Fars and Booshehr provinces. This river is a permanent one with the length of 225 kilometers and its average slope is 8 percent. Therefore, according to the unique features of this river and frequency of the formed meanderings through the river, it was decided to provide its maps. The maps were provided using remote sensing techniques, GIS, and satellite images in a 38-year period and via physical tools of the research including Topography maps 1/1, 250000/50000, geology and pedology maps, slope and height map of the basin, DEM of the region, landsat images, and MSS and OLI sensors in the first stage in Arc GIS software. Then, using the provided maps, all of the effective factors on meandering of the Dalki river were analyzed and finally according to the data analysis, the maximum displacement of the river was clarified and it was perceived that slope and type of the formations were the significant factors of changes and meanders of this river so that decrease and increase in the slope and type of the formations divided the chronologic-historical classification of this river into three young, adult, and old parts. During this 38-year period, the numbers of meanders have been increased as well as the displacement of the river in comparison to the past.

The Zagros Mountains, oriented from northwest to southeast, are barriers against western winds. This study was conducted to find a mechanism for describing specific type of cyclogenesis occurrence in the Zagros leeward. Therefore, by examining six cycles in this category, it became clear that as the cycle approaches the Zagros domains, there is an interaction between the cyclogenesis system and the Zagros Mountains, which leads to the formation of a particular thermal structure. Thus, a high pressure center is formed in the Zagros Mountains in the thermal winds. Such thermal abnormalities coincide with a decrease in static stability and dragging of the atmosphere and increasing relative tensile strength in the Zagros windfall. Then, perturbation potential vortices in upper levels stay on the lower perturbation potential temperature, atmosphere heat stress increased and cyclogenesis can occur in the leeward. On the other hand, the average underlying temperature (1000-700) and upper (500-300) levels showed that the most important effect of the mountains is to alter the mean distribution of low levels of potential temperature and hence to change the baroclinic waves. In fact, the Zagros Mountains, with increased meridional gradient of the potential temperature in the lower layer of the atmosphere, cause a sharp difference acceleration between upper layer and low layer of thermal disturbances. Accordingly, the Zagros Mountains, in terms of creating changes in the tilt of in Baroclinicity waves, provide the basis for the cyclogenesis in its eastern parts. So, this kind of cyclogenesis is based on the mechanism of orographic modification of baroclinic waves.