Various works in determination of elements in the non-Iranian parts of the Caspian Sea have been conducted in the past decades, but not much information on the Iranian part is available. Salinity and 6 major ions concentrations in the southern reach of the Caspian Sea were measured by collecting water samples from Noor area and Gorgan Bay, during spring and summer 2002. The salinity was 13 and 16ppt for Noor and Gorgan Bay, respectively. The chloride, sodium, sulfate, magnesium, calcium and potassium concentrations were, respectively, 5516, 4470, 1500, 500, 160, 100ppm in Noor area and 6900, 5533, 2250, 737, 249 and 260ppm in Gorgan Bay. Comparison of this study with other ones revealed some similarities and dissimilarities at the same time, which could be traced in the locations, sea level fluctuations and fresh water discharges into this sea.

Background and Theoretical Foundations: The Indian Ocean, as one of the world's most strategic maritime regions, has increasingly become a focal point for international security and cooperation. The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) is a key multilateral initiative aiming to strengthen maritime security cooperation among littoral states. This research is grounded in theories of multilateral security cooperation, liberal institutionalism, and international maritime law. Methodology: Methodology: Using a descriptive-analytical and comparative approach, this article explores the three core dimensions of cooperation within IONS: normative, structural, and behavioral. The study relies on library-based research, international legal documents, official reports, and a content analysis of previous IONS summit declarations. Findings: The findings reveal that although IONS has succeeded in establishing a platform for security dialogue, it faces challenges in achieving effective cooperation across all three dimensions. These include the lack of a binding legal framework, the absence of a permanent secretariat, limited conflict resolution mechanisms, and weak mutual operational trust among members. Conclusion: Strengthening legal cooperation among IONS member states requires simultaneous reinforcement of normative, structural, and behavioral elements. The Islamic Republic of Iran, due to its strategic location and naval capabilities, can play a leading role in institutionalizing legal norms and enhancing the effectiveness of IONS. The paper concludes with legal and strategic recommendations for improving the symposium’s performance.

Introduction: Perception of groundwater vulnerability level to pollutant is considerably essential in urban areas to facilitate groundwater planning and management. Because of the health and economic impacts associated with groundwater contamination, groundwater pollution assessment must be taken into consideration for sustainable groundwater protection. In this research, the concentrations of some heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn), major ions (Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl- , SO42- and HCO3-, NO32-), electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, total hardness and pH were measured to evaluate the degree of groundwater pollution in Kerman urban area.

As a highly valuable source of ephedrine, Ephedra major is well-adapted to various habitats in Iran. Over the last few decades, human’ s activity, in particular, over exploitation of its populations to extract medicinally valuable constitutes, have endangered this species. In this investigation, the level of genetic diversity and genetic structure in 16 natural populations of E. major for the very first time have been assessed utilizing molecular markers, inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR ). A high level of genetic diversity was revealed among the population where Dehbar region (Khorasan Razavi province, Iran ) exhibited the highest quantity of genetic parameters (P = 67. 96%, H = 0. 365 236, I = 0. 365 ). Intra-population genetic diversity (71% ) was significantly higher than inter-population genetic diversity (29% ) and only 1% genetic diversity among-regions. The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA ) and Bayesian clustering methods indicated the presence of a relatively strong population structure and to some extent in accordance with the geographical origin of populations. However, the success of UPGMA in grouping populations in congruence with their geographical location was more tangible. From the outcomes of this study, it could be asserted that, ISSR markers are effective in detecting the pattern of genetic diversity in E. major populations. On the other hand, by having reliable knowledge of the status of genetic diversity and structure of populations of this species, the first steps can be taken to protect populations with low genetic diversity, and also pave the way for breeding programs to finding and selection of superior populations.

The work evaluates the urban snow cover pollution and determines the level of the city influence on the pollution of the urban atmosphere with major ions (ammonium, nitrite, nitrate, chloride, sulfate, phosphate, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium) during the winter period (on the case study of Barnaul city, 2014-2019). The priority ions that determine the high pollution of the urban atmosphere in winter are (nitrite, chloride, sodium), the sources of which are the exhaust of motor vehicles (nitrite) and the using of anti-ice reagents (chloride, sodium). The study showed an increase of the major ions in the urban snow cover (with the exception of nitrate ion) by more than two times compared with the regional and more than six times with the global natural background. To study the spatial features of the snow cover pollution interpolation surfaces of the spatial distribution of priority ions in the study area were constructed.