Papers by somayeh soltani
This study investigated the public health vulnerability associated with dissolved metal(oid)s in ... more This study investigated the public health vulnerability associated with dissolved metal(oid)s in 34 household tap-water samples collected in Dhaka city, whose studies on the health risk and tap-water quality are still scarce. The article presents a relevant theme, good writing, detailed and complete methodology, accurate and complete figures and tables, and a good discussion of the results. Nevertheless, a few suggestions and questions about the manuscript are presented below.
Scour simulation is a way to prevent a bridge against the possible major damages. In this study,... more Scour simulation is a way to prevent a bridge against the possible major damages. In this study, local scouring around a cylindrical pier in non-cohesive bed sediment was simulated with the aid of Flow-3D model capabilities. A rectangular channel with 0.4 m width and 1.0 m length and a vertical cylindrical pier with diameter of 0.03 m and height of 0.3 m were specified for simulation of scour depth. Simulations were performed at different flow rates of 5, 10, 19 and 30 L/sec., separately and parameters of flow velocity, fluid depth, Froude number, packed sediment height and changes in net sediment motion were investigated. According to the results obtained from the simulations and after 600 sec., maximum scour depths for different inflow rates were equal to 0.0, 1.3, 2.4 and 3.6 cm for 5, 10, 19 and 30 L/sec., respectively. It was also observed that the scour depth was comparatively higher in upstream while it was lower in downstream part of the pier. Comparisons between the simula...
Environmental Earth Sciences
Land
Soil pollution is a highlighted concern of modern society, particularly in developing countries. ... more Soil pollution is a highlighted concern of modern society, particularly in developing countries. The Drosh-Shishi valley, which is a hilly region near Afghanistan with a land area of around 15,000 km2, is situated in the south of Chitral District (Pakistan) and has a population of approximately 450,000. Nowadays, this region is being explored for soil pollution, specifically heavy metals which pose a potential risk to human health. Therefore, our main goal was to investigate possible sources of heavy metals’ spread and to assess the content levels in soil and the associated risks for human. We collected 34 representative samples from transported sediments and 31 from agricultural crops. We analyzed the soil samples for the contents of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn using ICP-OES analyzers. These values were used to obtain the contamination factor (CF) and to estimate the potential health risk caused by heavy metals according to the USEPA dose–response model. Our results suggest ...
Folia Oecologica, 2021
Splash erosion, as the first step of soil erosion, causes the movement of the soil particles and ... more Splash erosion, as the first step of soil erosion, causes the movement of the soil particles and lumps and is considered an important process in soil erosion. Given the complexity of this process in nature, one way of identifying and modeling the process is to use a rainfall simulator and to study it under laboratory circumstances. For this purpose, transported material was measured with various rainfall intensities and different amounts of poly-acryl-amide. In the next step, artificial neural network (ANN), adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), and support vector machine (SVM) were used to model the transported materials. The results showed that among the three methods, the best values of evaluation criteria were related to SVM, and ANFIS respectively. Among the three studied durations, the experiment with a duration of 30 minutes received the best results. The results based on available data showed by increasing the number of membership functions, over-fitting happens in ...
Journal of Applied researches in Geographical Sciences, 2020
تحولات اخیر شهرسازی بیشتر تحت تأثیر دو مکتب فلسفی مدرنیسم و پست مدرنیسم بوده است که هر یک به سهم ... more تحولات اخیر شهرسازی بیشتر تحت تأثیر دو مکتب فلسفی مدرنیسم و پست مدرنیسم بوده است که هر یک به سهم خود تغییرات بسیاری در سیمای کالبدی و اجتماعی شهرهای جهان ایجاد کرده‌اند. آنچه مدرنیسم در شهر و شهرسازی از خود به جای گذاشت، توسط پست مدرنیسم‌ها با انتقاد جدی روبرو شد. گذر از مکاتب مدرنیسم و پست مدرنیسم باعث ایجاد مکاتب پایداری و توسعه پایدار در اواخر قرن 20 شد که رویکردی جدید به مسایل شهری و زیست محیطی دارد. دو انگاره شهر فشرده و رشد هوشمند را می‌توان از مصادیق توسعه پایدار شهری معرفی کرد که توسعه نظریات پایداری باعث ایجاد یک رویکرد پایداری در اکثر تفکرات شهرسازی به ویژه تفکر نوشهرگرایی شده است. نوشهرگرایی به عنوان یک رویکرد جدید طراحی و برنامه ریزی شهری در انتقاد به شهرسازی دوران معاصر که دارای الگویی پراکنده، غیر انسانی و ماشینی است شکل گرفته است.رشد سریع شهر تبریز در طی سال‌های اخیر باعث ایجاد نیازهای فراوانی در محلات و بافت‌های شهری و ایجاد بافت‌های جدید از جمله بافت‌های حاشیه‌ای شده است. وجود بافت‌های فرسوده و حاشیه‌ای شهر و نفوذ تفکرات سنتی و مدرنیستی و تقلیدهای کلیشه‌ای در تهیه ط...
PLOS ONE
Urban soil pollution with heavy metals is one of the environmental problems in recent years, espe... more Urban soil pollution with heavy metals is one of the environmental problems in recent years, especially in industrial cities. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of geogenic and anthropogenic sources in the urban soil pollution in Yazd, Iran. For this purpose, 30 top-soil (0–10 cm) samples from Yazd within an area of 136.37 Km2 and population of nearly 656 thousand are collected, and the concentration of heavy elements is measured. To evaluate factors affecting the concentration of heavy elements in urban soils and determine their possible sources, Multivariate statistical analysis, including correlation coefficient, principal components analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) are performed. Enrichment Factor (EF), Geo-accumulation index (Igeo), and Modified potential ecological Risk Index (MRI) are used to assess the level and extension of contamination. Results of this study suggest that As, Cd, Pb and Zn are affected by anthropogenic source, while the concentrations of...
中華民國力學學會第29 屆全國力學會議, Dec 1, 2005
Journal of Plant Growth Regulation, 2022
Ì'UlÅ«m va muhandisÄ«-i Ä?byÄ?rÄ«, 2018
Drought is a natural phenomenon that causes water resources shortage in various sectors such as d... more Drought is a natural phenomenon that causes water resources shortage in various sectors such as drinking water, industry and agriculture. Drought is one of the climatic phenomena that can be observed not only in arid and semi-arid regions, but also alternately in wet areas. It should be noted that aridity and drought are different, aridity is a climatic trait specific to arid and semi-arid regions and is a permanent feature of the climate of the dry region (Eslamian et al, 2012). Liu et al (2011) with the study of meteorological and hydrological droughts in Oklahoma State discovered the two-day drought incidence of 2 months and the correlation coefficient between SPI and SDI profiles in an optimal state was 0.63. Eskandari-Damaneh (2015) investigated temporal and spatial relationships between meteorological and hydrological droughts in Tehran province. The results showed a correlation of 99% between meteorological and hydrological droughts and the increasing trend of drought in Tehr...
Iranian Journal of Watershed Management Science and Engineering, 2018
The effect of a combined system of the bed suction and jet injection as a pier-scour countermeasu... more The effect of a combined system of the bed suction and jet injection as a pier-scour countermeasure on the turbulent flow field is studied in a laboratory flume using an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV). The three components of the velocities in the vertical symmetry plane in the equilibrium scour hole in front and rear of the pier under 3-jet injections and bed suction rate Qs/Q0 = 2%located between 0 <x/D< 2.4, (where x and D are the horizontal distance along the streamwise direction between the suction source and the pier center and the pier diameter respectively); in clear-water scour condition were measured instantaneously. Also, characteristics of turbulence flow (the turbulence intensity, vorticity and turbulent kinetic energy) in the upstream of a circular pier were investigated. The results reveal that turbulence properties, such as turbulence intensities decrease with bed suction and jet injection. Over the entire water depth, they decrease more rapidly near the be...
There are many slopping lands in Chaharmahl-Bakhtiari Province of Iran, located in the central Za... more There are many slopping lands in Chaharmahl-Bakhtiari Province of Iran, located in the central Zagros, which have suitable conditions for production of rain-fed horticultural products. This study was an attempt to determine the appropriate regions for almond and vine rain-fed cultivation in this province. Water requirement (ET) of the trees was calculated by local information of weather and plants. Annual precipitation (P) and ET were probabilistically analyzed. Required area for micro-catchment (Ac) and suitable regions for rain-fed gardening were then determined at different probability levels (p ) or return periods (T). Finally, average expected yields of almond and grape was estimated. Mapping the gardening-suitable area showed that inappropriate regions for rain-fed almond and vine culture are concentrated in the eastern part of the province due to less P and higher ET. Moreover, almond generally needed larger Ac than vine (about 43%) due to higher ET. Results also showed that ...
Paddy and Water Environment, 2020
Drainage is a profitable water management operation in waterlogged soils, particularly in hot, ar... more Drainage is a profitable water management operation in waterlogged soils, particularly in hot, arid environments where waterlogging is caused by irrigation and salts may build up when water evaporates from the soil surface. While drainage can reduce the buildup of salts, it may cause unwanted depletion of plant nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) from the soils. In this study, soil phosphorus (P), electrical conductivity (EC) and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) were determined (at depths of 0–50, 50–100, 100–150, and 150–200 cm) in longitudinal and transverse directions from an interceptor drain in cultivated and uncultivated field plots. Results showed that P content of points close to the drain was lower than points far from the drain. Deeper soil depths had lower P concentrations. The points furthest from the drain had the maximum values of P concentration due to slow movement of P in the soil and accumulation of P near the soil surface. Distance from the drain had no significant effect on SAR in both cultivated and uncultivated plots. Leaching of salts by drainage caused lower soil EC values for points near the drain. Deeper points in the soil had lower values of EC in cultivated plots. In general, the results indicated the drainage systems in arid regions resulted in decreased soil salinity and depleted soil phosphorus. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt the suitable useful management function to impressively decrease P losses when drains are installed.
Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 2021
Yazd province is one of the most important centers for pistachio and seedling production in Iran ... more Yazd province is one of the most important centers for pistachio and seedling production in Iran due to its geographical location and climate. However, this province is also one of the arid and semi-arid regions, facing the serious problem of water shortage. The use of wastewater and deficit irrigation techniques is, therefore, very important for irrigating pistachio seedlings in this arid region. For this purpose, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of deficit irrigation with treated wastewater on water use efficiency, leaf nutrient uptake, and growth of 1-year-old pistachio seedlings. This study was performed as factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design with three repetitions; irrigation water quality was addressed in four levels of treated wastewater (W1), groundwater (W2), 50% treated wastewater and 50% groundwater (W3), and intermittent irrigation with treated wastewater and groundwater (W4). Also, four irrigation levels including deficit irrigation based on 100% (S1), 80% (S2), 60% (S3), and 40% (S4) field capacity were considered. At the end of the experiment, some morphological and physiological traits, such as SPAD in the leaves, relative water content (RWC), electrolyte leakage (EL), stem height and diameter, number of green leaves and leaf area, root fresh and dry weight, water use efficiency (WUE) and the leaf nutrient uptake, were evaluated. Statistical analyses showed that all morphological parameters were higher when irrigation was done with treated wastewater rather than groundwater. The results also suggested that water quality was more effective than deficit irrigation levels on the morphological traits. Also, while SPAD was affected by water quality, RWC and WUE were more under the influence of deficit irrigation levels. Further, physiological growth was higher in those seedlings irrigated on W1S1, whereas the highest WUE was obtained in W1S3. The analysis of variance also showed that the main effects of irrigation water quality and different levels of deficit irrigation, as well as the interaction of these treatments, were statistically significant at the level of 1% on all nutrients uptake in the investigated pistachio seedlings. According to the obtained results, wastewater could compensate for the negative effects of deficit irrigation in the moderate levels of deficit irrigation. The use of wastewater, along with the application of deficit irrigation techniques, can be, therefore, recommended as an important step to solve water shortage problems and increase water use efficiency in arid areas. The results of this study could provide information helpful for establishing orchards by using wastewater under water shortage conditions, especially in arid zones.
Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 2021
Heavy metal pollution significantly reduces the quality of the environment and threatens human he... more Heavy metal pollution significantly reduces the quality of the environment and threatens human health especially in industrial cities. This study investigated toxic metals concentrations, pollution levels and human health risks assessment of urban soils in Yazd city, as an industrial city in center of Iran. Soil surface samples (0-10 cm) were collected from 30 points in the area for geochemical analysis. The concentrations of heavy metals were determined using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).The values of the mean concentrations of toxic metals (mg kg-1) in the urban soils decrease in the order of Zn (83.9) > Pb (34.5) > Cr (32.6) > Cu (23.5) > Ni (23.4) > As (5.86) > Co (4.86) > Cd (0.27). The mean concentration of Zn, Pb, As and Cd elements were higher than the background and the crust values. A pollution assessment by Geo-accumulation Index (I geo), Pollution Index (PI), Contamination Degree (C D),
Journal of Applied researches in Geographical Sciences, 2020
Environment, Development and Sustainability, 2020
Rivers are one of the most critical and common supplies for drinking water, agricultural, and ind... more Rivers are one of the most critical and common supplies for drinking water, agricultural, and industrial uses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of land use changes on surface water quality of the Godarkhosh River as a semi-arid catchment in Iran, during dry and wet years using remote sensing, GIS and multivariate statistical techniques and compared the water quality parameters with Wilcox classification and Schuler diagram for classification of drinking water quality. Results showed that urban and barren land uses were the key factor affecting water quality variation. More minor water quality was accompanied with a more proportion of the urban and barren land uses during the wet and dry years in the catchment. No significant correlation was identified between the pH, SAR, Cl − and Ca 2+ values with the land use types in both wet and dry years, whereas the EC, TDS, and Mg 2+ concentrations were strongly associated with at least one land use type. A negative correlation of the most water quality parameters was obtained with grasslands and forestlands, especially in the wet year compared with other land uses. Generally, it can be concluded that the relevances between water quality parameters and land use types were stronger in the dry year than that in the wet year. Also, the correlation analysis indicated that all water quality parameters had negative relationships with the river flows. Furthermore, most of the water quality variables showed the increasing trend over time based on Mann–Kendall trend analysis. The results of this research showed that a combination of remote sensing methods, geographic information systems and multivariate statistical techniques can provide an overview of the relationship between land use and water quality and recommend that water quality can be betterment with suitable land use management.
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Papers by somayeh soltani