Hamzeh Noor; Mahmood Arabkhedri; yahya parvizi
Abstract
IntroductionImplementation of watershed management measures in Iran to reduce the damage caused by the misuse of natural resources has begun many years ago and is still ongoing. Evaluating the performance of previous remedial work is essential for better planning of future watershed management projects. ...
Read More
IntroductionImplementation of watershed management measures in Iran to reduce the damage caused by the misuse of natural resources has begun many years ago and is still ongoing. Evaluating the performance of previous remedial work is essential for better planning of future watershed management projects. In this regard, due to the monitoring of soil loss, runoff and sedimentation at slope and watershed scales, a suitable platform has been provided to assess the effects of watershed management measures. Material and methodsThe Kakhk paired watershed with an area of 217 ha is located at a distance of 300 km from Mashhad City and 35 km southwest of Gonabad City.The Kakhk paired watershed consists of two sub-watershds, the control and the treatment. A series of biological and structural watershed management measures have been implemented in the treatment sub-watershed. While the control sub-watershed is exploited according to the custom of the region. In this research, the impact of different watershed management measures on the soil loss, sediment yield and hydrology in the Kakhk paired watershed were evaluated. For this purpose, the recorded data of suspended sediment and discharge at the watershed scale, as well as the data of soil loss (by standard plots and erosion pins) and runoff (standard plots) were analyzed at the hillslope scale. Results and discussionThe results at plot scale showed that the average annual soil loss of the two treatment and control sub-watersheds is 0.05 and 0.27 ton.ha-1.y-1, respectively. These results indicate that the soil loss in the control sub-watershed is 536% higher than the treatment sub-watershed. The amount of runoff yield in the control sub-watershed was calculated to be 138% more than the treatment sub-watershed. At watershed scale, the results showed that the total amount of suspended sediment output from the control and treatment watersheds is 379 and 85 tons, respectively, which indicates the average specific sediment of 0.4 and 0.1 ton.ha-1 in the control and treatment watersheds, respectively. The volume of runoff in the control sub-watershed is 1.3 times more than treatment sub-watershed. On the other hand, despite the difference between the treatment and control sub-watersheds in soil loss, run-off production and sediment yield, the role of maximum events in soil erosion and runoff production in both sub-watersheds is very significant. So that one to three erosive events in both studied sub-watershes are responsible for more than 80% of the soil loss in the slopes and the production of runoff and sediment yield of watersheds. ConclusionThe results showed that a total of 136,000 m3 of runoff storage and 294 ton of suspended sediment control were achieved as a result of watershed operations in the treatment sub-watershed. Therefore, it can be stated that the watershed management measures carried out in the treatment sub-watershed on the one hand have reduced soil erosion and runoff production on the slopes compared to the control sub-watershed. This action has been done through increasing the vegetation, increasing the roughness of the land surface, reducing the carrying capacity of the flow and settling the materials being transported. Further, the flow from the slopes enters the waterway and is kept by watershed management structures, and as a result, the sediment yield and volume of runoff in the treatment sub-watershed is less than the control sub-watershed.
Khosrw Shahbazi; yahya parvizi; Mahin Kalehhouei
Abstract
Gully erosion contributes severe land degradation. It is therefore, necessary to identify the aggravating factors and to provide for sensitive areas to gully development. The aim of this study was to determine the spatial and climatic distribution of gully in Kermanshah Province, Iran and to identify ...
Read More
Gully erosion contributes severe land degradation. It is therefore, necessary to identify the aggravating factors and to provide for sensitive areas to gully development. The aim of this study was to determine the spatial and climatic distribution of gully in Kermanshah Province, Iran and to identify the morphological characteristics and the main factors of their development. First, using 1: 20,000 and 1: 50,000 aerial photographs, the predominantly gully areas of the province were identified and then this information was corrected using field suevey. The climatic zones of the gully areas are identified using existing maps and modified by the Domarten Method. In each climate, one to three gully areas were identified as targets and in each of them a gully was identified and two replications were identified. The gully chanel chrectreristices were location, landuse, dimensions at the head-cut, intervals of 25, 50 and 75%, slope, width, length and cross section. The results showed that 17% of areas in the Kermanshah Province was affecterd by gully erosion comprising eight sub-climate classes. Dominat topographic conditions of gullies were developed at hilly and gentle plain areas with Trapezoidal cross section. The cross section indicated deep and V-shaped gully in marl formations (Fars group). These areas included Sarfiroozabad, Somar and Jabbarabad where most of gully measures were deeper and wider than other parts. Among the effective factors in creating and expanding the gully, we can mention heavy rainfall, slope, soil erodibility and destruction of vegetation upstream of the basin as natural factors and change of land use and improper exploitation as human factors in developing gully erosion.
Yahya Parvizi; Mahmood Arabkhedri; Mosayeb Heshmati; Mohammad Gheitury
Abstract
Soil degradation and erosion caused by human factors is the main threat to the functions of soil resources. The consequences of this phenomenon are reducing the sustainability and quality of production as well as environmental problems. Also, moisture stress, especially in rainfed lands, is a major limitation ...
Read More
Soil degradation and erosion caused by human factors is the main threat to the functions of soil resources. The consequences of this phenomenon are reducing the sustainability and quality of production as well as environmental problems. Also, moisture stress, especially in rainfed lands, is a major limitation to improve productivity in these lands. The use of subsurface water harvesting is one of the options that is prevalent in Zagros provinces, due to topographic and geological conditions. This research was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the operation of the traditional system of land use change of dryland to grape, almond and alfalfa cultivation with supplementary irrigation using subsurface water harvesting system in improving soil permeability and inhibition of soil degradation and erosion in the Razin Watershed of Kermanshah Province. To do this, after selecting the study area, some of the diagnostic features of selected area including the soil permeability with the disk permeameter and the soil degradation and erosion condition with GLADIS method were measured by field measurements in the study area as well as the control area. In the laboratory, soil texture, bulk density, saturation percentage, lime, acidity, salinity, nutrient concentration and organic carbon storage were measured the soil samples collected in the operation and control area. The results showed that the hidden form of erosion, the gradual washing of fine particles and the coarse grains of gravel and pebbles remaining known as Armor, is the most important form of erosion in the region. In the long term, the construction of this system was able to remove this form of erosion and loss of soil from the region. Also, exploitation of the underground dam system and extraction of subsurface water harvesting within its scope, in addition to enhancing all soil quality indicators (including its organic carbon accumulation), resulted in a 23% increase in soil permeability capacity and soil erosion has inhibited 5.56 tons per hectare.
Mohammad Gheitury; Mosayeb Heshmati; Yahya Parvizi; Mahmoh Arabkhedri; Mahmod Tabatabaei; Khosroo Shahbazi
Abstract
Now a day, carbon sequestration is an important issue due to its serious role on global warming. The aim of this research was to evaluate mechanical measure of check dams on vegetation cover and soil carbon storage in watersheds of Kermanshah Province, Iran. These check dams were constructed in the drainage ...
Read More
Now a day, carbon sequestration is an important issue due to its serious role on global warming. The aim of this research was to evaluate mechanical measure of check dams on vegetation cover and soil carbon storage in watersheds of Kermanshah Province, Iran. These check dams were constructed in the drainage systems to reduce surface runoff velocity and optimize channel slope. Small sedimentary dams are made by gabions and dry structures. The soil and vegetation characteristics of the areas under mechanical operation and its control (severe grazing and grazing management) by field survey in selected sites of Gilan Ghab, Kangavar and Sarfirozabad. The plant biomass including canopy cover and plant root as well as plant litter were samplled along transect path using the quadrat plot. 36 soil sampls were collected from 0-20 cm of soil depths and were air dried and sieved through two milimeter mesh and analyzed in the soil laboratory. Soil organic carbon was measured by the Walkley and Black method and statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS software (version 19). Results showed that both mechanical (check dams) contributed to store 49.28 tonha-1 of carbon which was significantly lower than biological measures. It was concluded that vegetation cover has the most effects on carbon sequestration of the rangelands compared to mechanical methods.
Mosayeb Heshmati; Mohammad Ghaietury; Mahmood Arabkhedri; Yahya Parvizi
Abstract
Forest and land use change has many negative consequences including increased flooding, erosion, sedimentation and dust storms. The aim of the research was thus to investigate the effects of land use change in Zagros forests on erodibility and sedimentation via soil quality reduction in some forests ...
Read More
Forest and land use change has many negative consequences including increased flooding, erosion, sedimentation and dust storms. The aim of the research was thus to investigate the effects of land use change in Zagros forests on erodibility and sedimentation via soil quality reduction in some forests of Kermanshah Province, Iran. In order to achieve this aim, in the first step, afforest area and its adjacent rain-fed farm (which is developed during recent 10 years a result of forest land change), were selected and 35 soil samples were collected from the surface layer (0-20 cm). Then, the physico-chemical analyses were done on the soil samples. In the next step, soil erodibility factor was calculated and sediment yield was assessed using portable rainfall simulator. The results showed that six key properties of soil including soil aggregate stability, bulk density, organic carbon, total nitrogen, total absorbable potassium and cation exchange capacity were significantly (p<0.05) influenced by land use type. Additionally, in all tested samples, the total clay and silt content was about 80%, which resulted in the formation of soil with heavy texture. Subsequently soil erodibility factor (K) and sediment yield intensity in rain-fed farm was found significantly (P<0.05) higher than those of forest. According to the results and the role of Zagros forest ecosystem on water harvesting, aquifer recharge, flood and dust control, the current trend of changing forest landuse to arable lands accompanying improper tillage practice, crops residue burning and heavy machinery traffic in nearby rain-fed farms, cause accelerating global warming, increasing runoff coefficient and evaporation as well as water scarcity in future.
