Investigating the trend and determining the characteristics of critical wind and dust erosion hotspots in Sarakhs County

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Desert Research Division, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran

2 Researcher, Desert Research Division, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran

3 MSc of Combat Desertification, Retired, Desert Affairs Bureou, Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization, Tehran, Iran

4 MSc of Natural Resources Engineering, Consulting Engineers Company of Tarh Abriz, Tehran, Iran

5 Deputy Director of the International Center for Integrated Watershed and Biological Resources Management, Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization, Tehran, Iran

6 MSc. Student of Environmental Pollution, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Jiroft, Jiroft, Iran

7 PhD Student in Rangeland Sciences, Desert Affairs Bureou, Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization, Tehran, Iran

8 PhD in Combat Desertification, Desert Affairs Bureou, Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization, Tehran, Iran

10.29252/aridbiom.2025.22155.2028

Abstract

Examining the trends and characteristics of the affected areas is essential to effectively control and contain wind and dust erosion. This study focuses on Sarakhs County and aims to achieve this by integrating remote sensing and ground-based data. The trend of vegetation changes was analyzed using Landsat satellite images and the MSAVI index from 1995 to 2023 within the Terrst2020 environment. The intensity of wind erosion in the affected areas, including sand extraction, transport, and deposition, was identified and classified using satellite images and field surveys based on sand dune origination guidelines. By integrating the maps obtained from these steps, the location and characteristics of the degraded lands were determined. The study revealed that the average MSAVI index decreased from 0.209 in 1995 to 0.137 in 2004, indicating a decline in vegetation cover. The harvesting, transportation, and sedimentation areas accounted for 50.1%, 24.6%, and 2.4% of the degraded areas, respectively. Most of the degraded regions (88%) were in agricultural lands, primarily low-yield rainfed lands. Only 6% of the degraded areas were in pasture lands, while 48.4% were in man-made forests. It is evident that land use changes, particularly the conversion of pastures to low-yield rainfed lands, are the main drivers of land degradation and desertification, leading to increased wind erosion and dust in Sarakhs County. Therefore, practical solutions should prioritize the management of low-yield drylands through conservation agriculture and restoring degraded rangelands with the participation of local communities.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Journal of Arid Biome
Volume 14, Issue 2
October 2024
Pages 61-74

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