Journal of Environmental Studies
Year:2024 | Volume:50 | Issue:3|Papers Count:7

Flooding is one of the most destructive natural disasters that causes loss of life and financial problems in urban and rural areas. In addition, this risk is a concern worldwide, and Iran, like many countries, faces flooding problems in urban and rural areas. Protecting people's lives and property from floods is a duty assigned to governments, and countries have enacted specific laws to manage floods and protect riverbeds and riverbanks. This research aims to determine the flood limit and flood margin of the Dinevar River using the one-dimensional HEC-RAS model. First, geometric data was prepared with the help of HEC-GEORAS extension in GIS software. To estimate the instantaneous peak discharge, the instantaneous peak discharge was calculated using the Hyfran software and the flood zone was simulated with different return periods. Then, based on 130 cross-sections, the area adjacent to the river was divided into two parts: the floodway and flood fringe zones, based on the 100-year flood level increase of 1 foot. Method 4 (the user specifies target water level increase) was used to determine the floodplain limit. The results of this study showed that in the first reach, the floodplain limit coincided with the old terraces of the Dinevar River. In the second and third reaches of the Dinevar River, due to the reduction of topographic restrictions, the riverbed has expanded and reached to an average of 300 and 500 meters in the second and third reaches respectively.

The traditional orchards surrounding the city of Qazvin, as a cultural and social heritage, play a vital role in the city's environmental and economic sustainability. Land use changes could affect the energy and water balance of urban and non-urban areas. Destroying traditional orchards could lead to environmental problems such as increased flood intensity and heat-trapping in urban areas. The orchards also act as artificial reservoirs for the Qazvin Plain aquifer, contributing to the sustainability of the groundwater level. Given the significance of the orchard’s ecosystem for Qazvin, it is essential to examine the trend of changes in land use and its area. This study estimated the orchards' area using supervised classification of random forest and MSI sensor images, comparing the trend of changes from 2016 to 2022. Also, a temporal series of accessible images have been processed for two scenarios. In the first scenario, the total orchards' area was estimated without considering tree density, but the second scenario investigated the active area of orchards concerning tree density. The average of the total area and active area of orchards were found to be 2613 and 2203 hectares, respectively. The results demonstrated that about 15.7% of the orchards, equivalent to 410 hectares, either lost trees or had very low tree density, indicating a need for more attention to maintain the environmental balance of the region

Today, environmental pollution is one of the basic problems in many countries, especially in developing countries that possess natural resources. Therefore, identifying factors affecting pollution in these countries has particular importance. In many studies, the Environmental Kuznets Curve has been used to investigate the factors affecting pollution. In this hypothesis, the emission of pollution is a function of per capita income as the level of development. This study, taking into account the framework of Kuznets theory and considering institutional factors and the shadow sector, seeks to find a suitable answer to the question of what effect the shadow economy has on environmental pollution in the group of selected countries of the Persian Gulf, along with institutional factors. In this study, the variables of rule of law, corruption control and political stability have been applied as institutional factors. Using the panel data technique in the framework of the Environmental Kuznets Curve during the years 2009 to 2020, the results have shown that the shadow economy has a positive and significant effect on environmental pollution. Also, the results indicate that the effect of political stability and the rule of law on environmental pollution was negative and significant, while corruption control had a positive and significant effect on environmental pollution. In addition, the findings confirm the Kuznets hypothesis for the selected countries of the Persian GulfIn this research, the variables of rule of law, corruption control and political stability have been used as institutional factors. Using the panel data technique in the framework of the environmental Kuznets curve during the years 2009 to 2020, the results have shown that the shadow economy has a positive and significant effect on environmental pollution. Also, the results indicate that the effect of political stability and rule of law on environmental pollution was negative and significant, while corruption control had a positive and significant effect on environmental pollution. Also, the results confirm the Kuznets hypothesis for the selected countries of the Persian Gulf..

Educational institutions, including universities, play a significant role in generating environmental knowledge. Students are regarded as influential and informed individuals, and identifying and explaining their existing environmental attitudes is the first step in training and educating specialized human resources with environmental views. Therefore, the present research aimed to model the influence of information sources and knowledge on the environmental attitude of students studying at the Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan. This research was of a descriptive-correlation type. The statistical population of this research includes 1753 agricultural students of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan. Stratified random sampling method with proportional assignment in the educational level (bachelor's, master's and doctoral), the study subjects were selected and information was collected through 161 questionnaires. Statistical tests of Spearman's correlation coefficient and path analysis (structural equation modeling) were used for data processing. The results of structural equation modeling showed that the variables of information sources and knowledge predicted 61% of the changes in the environmental attitude of agricultural students. Given the potential role of information sources and knowledge in shaping the environmental attitudes of agricultural students, it is essential to establish the necessary foundations for increasing their environmental knowledge and awareness through social institutions such as family, mass media (including virtual platforms, the internet, etc.), and by encouraging collective movements and activities focused on environmental conservation. Hosting scientific and public events like conferences and seminars at universities should be facilitated to promote a conducive environmental attitude among students as valuable human resources in society

In today's urban environments, maintaining dynamism and engagement poses significant challenges, leading cities to become static and unresponsive. Designers have proposed various initiatives, with a particular focus on squares as pivotal components shaping social processes through human-environment interaction. This study aims to identify the role of urban spatial configuration in fostering sociability, social receptivity, and cohesion within the urban fabric, specifically examining how urban form influences social interaction and space dynamics. Squares typically serve as focal points due to their significance in facilitating social interactions. Therefore, this study zeroes in on Haft-tir Square in Tehran as a case study. Employing the Space Syntax method for analyzing spatial configuration, the study compares social receptivity levels between two urban design layouts. Findings reveal that even minor alterations aimed at enhancing pedestrian-friendly environments significantly optimize spatial organization, thereby strengthening social receptivity in urban squares. A comparison between the current state of Haft-tir Square and its proposed redesign highlights improvements in accessibility, crucial for fostering social interactions. Overall, this research underscores the importance of spatial arrangement and design in creating accessible spaces, enhancing transportation efficiency, mitigating traffic congestion, and promoting equal opportunities for social interactions within urban squares. Implementing physical strategies to pedestrianize urban areas plays a pivotal role in boosting the sociability index of urban spaces, particularly in revitalizing urban squares, which have gradually lost their significance in the urban landscape.

Benefiting from the favorable environment, the compatibility of development with the environment, and the realization of the 50th principle of the constitution are among the most important missions of Iran's Vision Document of 2025 (VD2025). In this way, the evaluation of the five-year plans of the VD2025 can help fulfill the environmental missions of the country. The objective of this research is to evaluate the development plans of VD2025. The required information was extracted from Yale University's Environmental Law and Policy Center and Columbia University's Center for International Geoscience Information Network between 2005 and 2022. To examine the environmental performance (EP) AHP method was used by summing up 32 indicators, including three sub-criteria of level one climate change with a weight of 0.38, ecosystem restoration with a weight of 0.42, and environmental health with a weight of 0.2. Also, the distance between the value of each environmental sub-index in the good and bad goals of each index was examined and presented in three situations: normal, inappropriate, and critical. According to the results, the sixth development plan with a score of 0.363 was ranked first, the fourth development plan was ranked second with a score of 0.341, and the fifth development plan was ranked third with a score of 0.296. Also, the fourth plan ranked first in 5 indicators, the fifth plan in 7 indicators, and the sixth plan in 13 indicators. In general, the sixth development plan has performed better in terms of environmental protection. Despite the emphasis of Iran's VD2025 on improving the environment, Iran has a worrying situation in most sub-indices of EP, which needs to be taken into consideration in future development plans.

Air pollution is one of the most significant environmental issues, as exposure to air pollutants is widely linked to various health problems. This study aimed to investigate the polar pattern of air pollution based on meteorological factors in the coastal belt of Mazandaran Province. Data on the concentrations of SO2, CO, NO2, and O3 from the TROPOMI sensor, along with meteorological variables (wind speed and direction), were analyzed for the period from 2018 through 2022. Time series plots, Wind Rose diagrams, Pollution Rose diagrams, and bivariate polar plots were employed for data analysis and identification of emission sources. The examination of temporal patterns revealed that, at most stations, the highest concentrations of SO2, CO, and NO2 occurred in 2021, while the peak O3 concentration was recorded in 2019. Annual analyses using Wind Rose and Pollution Rose diagrams indicated that the predominant wind direction associated with pollutant concentrations in Amirabad and Babolsar stations aligned with wind speed. In contrast, Ramsar and Nowshahr stations displayed different relationships between wind speed and pollutant concentration direction. Moreover, the polar patterns in the Wind Rose and Pollution Rose diagrams for two seasonal variables demonstrated that the directions of wind speed and pollutant concentration differed, with the highest concentration of each pollutant occurring at low wind speeds. The findings also indicated that the eastern areas of the Mazandaran coastal strip experience higher levels of air pollution compared to the western part of the study area, attributed to weather conditions, a higher density of industries, increased vehicle traffic, the Shahid Salimi Power Plant, Miankaleh peninsula, and the burning crop residues. Therefore, employing visual polar analysis for pollution management is expected to be highly effective.