Papers by Hossein Hashemi
in Uncoded languages Easy access to hydro-climatic data is a necessary precondition for the progr... more in Uncoded languages Easy access to hydro-climatic data is a necessary precondition for the progress and success of any water resources research project. Without (easy) access to these data, realistic and reliable assessment of a catchment under study is impossible. The aim of this note is not to discuss the importance of the collection of hydro-climatic data but to emphasise the worthiness of easy access to such data. Briefly alluding to authors' personal experiences of data access issues, a few suggestions are made in order to develop a comprehensive online database of Iran's hydro-climatic data and water resources information easily accessible to the water research community, i.e. both national and international researchers. (Less)
Besides the rapid population growth over the past few decades, water scarcity and soil degradatio... more Besides the rapid population growth over the past few decades, water scarcity and soil degradation have intensified the challenges faced by the Iranian agriculture sector to ensure food security over the long term. Despite its paramount importance, the extent to which the land and water resources of Iran can meet the nation’s future food demand is not well understood. Herein, we systematically evaluated the capacity of Iran’s land for sustainable agriculture based on the soil properties, topography, and climate conditions relevant to crop production.Our objectives were to:i) Quantify and map the suitability of Iran’s land resources for croppingii) Examine if further increase in production can be achieved through agriculture expansion or the redistribution of cropping areasWhen evaluated based on the soil and topographic variables only, Iran’s land suitability for crop cultivation can be classified as (million ha): very good 0.7, good 5.1, medium 17.2, poor 24.8, very poor 55.7, and ...
Scientific Data, 2020
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) produ... more The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) product provided over 17 years of gridded precipitation datasets. However, the accuracy and spatial resolution of TMPA limits the applicability in hydrometeorological applications. We present a dataset that enhances the accuracy and spatial resolution of the TMPA monthly product (3B43). We resample the TMPA data to a 1 km grid and apply a correction function derived from the Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) to reduce bias in the data. We confirm a linear relationship between bias and elevation above 1,500 meters where TMPA underestimates measured precipitation, providing a proof-of-concept of how simple linear scaling can be used to augment existing satellite datasets. The result of the correction is the High-Resolution Altitude-Corrected Precipitation product (HRAC-Precip) for the CONUS. Using 9,200 precipitation stations from the Global Historical Climatol...
Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration, 2018
When saline water is used to irrigate crops in arid environments, appropriate irrigation manageme... more When saline water is used to irrigate crops in arid environments, appropriate irrigation management should be applied to avoid negatively impacting soil characteristics. In this study, the effects of irrigating date palms with saline water (2.24 g l −1) on soil physicochemical characteristics such as the electrical conductivity (EC e), the pH of the saturated soil paste (pH e), the concentrations of soluble cations (Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Na +), the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), the saturated soil hydraulic conductivity (K s), and the volumetric water content of the soil (θ v) were evaluated in a Tunisian Saharan cropland, the Dergine Oasis, during a 4-year period (2012-2015). The effects of three different irrigation treatments of date palms on soil properties were investigated: low treatment (90% of the net irrigation requirement (NIR) of date palms was applied); medium treatment (100% of NIR was applied), and high treatment (110% of NIR was applied). The results showed that the application of saline water for irrigation inevitably has a negative impact on the physicochemical properties of the soil. Irrigation with saline water was observed to have severe negative impacts on the soil characteristics, especially EC e , Na + , K s , and θ v. However, among the three irrigation treatments applied, statistical analysis (Duncan's multiple range test) indicated that the high treatment significantly (p < 0.05) minimized the degradation of soil characteristics by the saline water; this treatment decreased EC e , Na + , and SAR and increased the water content, θ v , of the studied soil.
Journal of Cleaner Production, Aug 1, 2019
Lake Urmia, located in northwestern Iran, is the largest salt lake in the Middle East (ME) and on... more Lake Urmia, located in northwestern Iran, is the largest salt lake in the Middle East (ME) and one of the largest hypersaline lakes in the world. The lake has an important role in biodiversity preservation and the economic and cultural aspects of its surrounding region. Over the last two decades, the combined effects of climate change and anthropogenic activities have caused a significant depletion of lake water. The interaction of lake water and groundwater has motivated us to study the surrounding aquifers to determine the impact of human activities on the lake. The Shabestar plain located in the northeast of Lake Urmia is chosen as the research area for the current study. The goal is to find a Remote Sensing (RS) based method to estimate the changes in groundwater level, due to over-exploitation, both in time and space. We use a random forest algorithm to determine the contribution of different factors in the estimation of the aquifer’s hydraulic properties. Input data include the surface deformation rate produced by Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technique between 2016 and 2022, weather-driven parameters including temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, normalized differential vegetation index, and evapotranspiration, and the hydrological factors including observed well and lake water levels. The built model is then used for estimating the spatiotemporal groundwater level changes throughout the aquifer. The groundwater level change and its relationship with the lake water surface is investigated. The model has the potential to be generalized in the estimation of groundwater depletion in similar aquifers.
Ecological Informatics, Mar 1, 2020
Abstract The aim of this research was to develop a method to produce a Dust Source Susceptibility... more Abstract The aim of this research was to develop a method to produce a Dust Source Susceptibility Map (DSSM). For this purpose, we applied remote sensing and statistical-based machine learning algorithms for experimental dust storm studies in the Khorasan Razavi Province, in north-eastern Iran. We identified dust sources in the study area using MODIS satellite images during the 2005–2016 period. For dust source identification, four indices encompassing BTD3132, BTD2931, NDDI, and D variable for 23 MODIS satellite images were calculated. As a result, 65 dust source points were identified, which were categorized into dust source data points for training and validation of the machine learning algorithms. Three statistical-based machine learning algorithms were used including Weights of Evidence (WOE), Frequency Ratio (FR), and Random Forest (RF) to produce DSSM for the study region. We used land use, lithology, slope, soil, geomorphology, NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), and distance from river as conditioning variables in the modelling. To check the performance of the models, we applied the Area Under the Curve (AUC) of the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC). As for the AUC success rate (training), the FR and WOE algorithms resulted in 82 and 83% accuracy, respectively, while the RF algorithm resulted in 91% accuracy. As for the AUC predictive rate (validation), the accuracy of all three models, FR, WOE, and RF, were 80, 81, and 88%, respectively. Although all three algorithms produced acceptable susceptibility maps of dust sources, the results indicated better performance of the RF algorithm.
Environmental Research Letters
Peatlands are unique ecosystems that contain massive amounts of carbon. These ecosystems are incr... more Peatlands are unique ecosystems that contain massive amounts of carbon. These ecosystems are incredibly vulnerable to human disturbance and climate change. This may cause the peatland carbon sink to shift to a carbon source. A change in the carbon storage of peatlands may result in surface deformation. This research uses the interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) technique to measure the deformation of the peatland’s surface in south Sweden in response to the seasonal and extreme weather conditions in recent years, including the unprecedented severe drought in the summer of 2018. The deformation map of the study area is generated through a time-series analysis of InSAR from June 2017 to November 2020. Monitoring the peatland areas in this region is very important as agricultural and human activities have already caused many peatlands to disappear. This further emphasizes the importance of preserving the remaining peat sites in this region. Based on the InSAR results, a met...
Journal of Hydrology
Compact dual-polarization doppler X-band weather radars (X-WRs) have recently gained attention in... more Compact dual-polarization doppler X-band weather radars (X-WRs) have recently gained attention in Scandinavia for sub-km and minute scale rainfall observations. This study develops a method for merging data from two X-WRs in Dalby and Helsingborg, southern Sweden (operated at five and one elevation angle levels, respectively) to improve the accuracy of rainfall observations. In total, 87 rainfall events from May-September 2021, observed by 38 tipping bucket gauges in the overlapping coverage of the X-WRs, were used for ground truth. The gauges were classified into four zones. An artificial neural network using doppler and dual-polarization variables (ANN) and a regression-based hybrid of RATEs (single-level rainfall products built-in to the X-WRs) based on the Marshall-Palmer equation (RMP) were calibrated for each zone. The calibrated models at 5-min scale significantly outperformed RATEs for all zones verified by Gilbert skill score (GSS), relative bias (rBIAS), mean absolute error (MAE), and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) not using the calibration data. Quantile-quantile plots confirmed a considerable improvement of the statistical distribution of the merged rainfall estimates for Zone I (closest to Dalby), II (mid-way between Dalby and Helsingborg), and IV (similar range as II for Dalby but farthest to Helsingborg) especially using ANN. Zone III (farthest to Dalby and closest to Helsingborg) was problematic for all RATEs, ANN, and RMP. The lowest-level elevation angle for both X-WRs showed the most erroneous RATEs. Consequently, the problems with Zone III can be solved if multiple levels of Helsingborg X-WR at higher levels are available.
Sustainable Water Resources Management
Floodwater harvesting (FWH) for artificial recharge of groundwater (ARG) and spate irrigation (SI... more Floodwater harvesting (FWH) for artificial recharge of groundwater (ARG) and spate irrigation (SI) is the most widely practiced large catchment water harvesting technique. It has recently received renewed attention for research, improvement, and implementation. This chapter first introduces an innovative, locally adaptive, and improved FWH technique—floodwater spreading systems (FWS)—to guide policymakers and practitioners in the management of groundwater (GW) resources and efficient rain-fed agriculture in water scarce countries. This is done by evaluating the effects of a large-scale FWH system on a local aquifer. The chapter assesses the contribution of FWH to GW recharge and improved agricultural yield by introducing SI technique through FWH. In line with the GW modeling and recharge estimation, a three-year field study to investigate improved rain-fed agricultural yield in a FWS system using the SI technique is explained. Barley was tested as an indicator plant for crop yield. (Less)
Environmental Earth Sciences, 2021
A common problem when studying groundwater contamination in low-income countries is that data req... more A common problem when studying groundwater contamination in low-income countries is that data required for a detailed risk assessment are limited. This study presents a method for assessment of the potential impact of groundwater contamination by total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in a data-scarce region. Groundwater modeling, using the MODFLOW, was used to simulate regional-scale flow pattern. Then, a semi-analytical contamination transport model was calibrated by minimization of the absolute errors between measured and modeled concentrations. The method was applied to a case study in Kazakhstan to assess the potential spreading of a TPH plume, based on historical observations. The limited data included general information about the local geology, observations of GW level in the area, and concentrations during 5 years of TPH in monitoring wells surrounding the source of the pollution. The results show that the plume could spread up to 2–6 km from the source, depending on estimate o...
The report consists of a literature study of X-band weather radar technology, a comparison of rai... more The report consists of a literature study of X-band weather radar technology, a comparison of rain data between an X-band radar facility near Lund and rain gauges, an analysis of flow- and sewage overflow data during rain events and implementation ideas of the X-band radar.
Journal of Hydrology, 2020
This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the ad... more This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
International Journal of Digital Earth, 2020
Kazemi (2021) Impact of spatiotemporal land-use and landcover changes on surface urban heat islan... more Kazemi (2021) Impact of spatiotemporal land-use and landcover changes on surface urban heat islands in a semiarid region using Landsat data, International
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2020
Desalination to increase irrigation water supply for agricultural production is becoming importan... more Desalination to increase irrigation water supply for agricultural production is becoming important in water-scarce regions. While desalination has positive effects on the potential irrigation water quantity and quality, the technique may also be a considered potential source of groundwater pollution. The present study investigated the effects of desalination wastewater discharge on groundwater quality in an arid area in southern Iran for the 2012-2017 period. The chemical composition of the groundwater samples was evaluated considering pH, EC, Na + , Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , SO 4 2+ , Cl − , and HCO 3 −. The suitability of groundwater for drinking and irrigation purposes as well as spatial pattern of groundwater pollution was analyzed. The results showed that mean concentration of Na + , Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , SO 4 2− , and Cl − in all investigated wells increased from 148, 94, 46, 247, and 257 mg/L in 2012 to 282, 146, 71, 319, and 582 mg/L in 2017, respectively. Using Gibb's diagram, it was shown that the groundwater quality is slightly alkaline and primarily controlled by evaporation. Based on our findings, about 78% of the study aquifer displayed groundwater with good to excellent water quality that can be used for drinking and irrigation purposes. However, the eastern part of the aquifer was classified as unsuitable for use due to the disposal of desalination plant wastewater. The spatial distribution of WQI and other indices such as SAR, TDS, and TH showed that groundwater in the eastern part of the aquifer has deteriorated since the establishment of the desalination plants. To reverse this trend, it is important to implement regulations against wastewater discharge from desalination plants.
Water Science and Technology, 2020
The performance of a new type of X-band weather radar (WR) for Sweden during a pilot run is studi... more The performance of a new type of X-band weather radar (WR) for Sweden during a pilot run is studied. Compared to the conventional C-band WRs, the X-band WR covers a smaller area but with a higher spatiotemporal resolution, making it suitable for urban hydrological applications. Rainfall estimations from different elevation angles of the radar (levels) are compared at one-minute and single-event timescales with the observations of several rain gauges at different ranges using hyetographs. In general, the estimations aligned well with observations and the best match appeared for ranges as long as 5–10 km. Seemingly, radar estimations suffered from overshooting of lower lying showers by higher level scans in longer ranges (19–30 km) and from the reflectivity contamination due to moving objects in short ranges (<1 km). Also, the effective range of the radar dropped sharply for the moments when a cloudburst was located over the radar. Although various sources of error could affect the...
Hydrogeology Journal, 2018
Freshwater scarcity is an ever-increasing problem throughout the arid and semi-arid countries, an... more Freshwater scarcity is an ever-increasing problem throughout the arid and semi-arid countries, and it often results in poverty. Thus, it is necessary to enhance understanding of freshwater resources availability, particularly for groundwater, and to be able to implement functional water resources plans. This study introduces a novel statistical approach combined with a data-mining ensemble model, through implementing evidential belief function and boosted regression tree (EBF-BRT) algorithms for groundwater potential mapping of the Lordegan aquifer in central Iran. To do so, spring locations are determined and partitioned into two groups for training and validating the individual and ensemble methods. In the next step, 12 groundwater-conditioning factors (GCFs), including topographical and hydrogeological factors, are prepared for the modeling process. The mentioned factors are employed in the application of the EBF model. Then, the EBF values of the GCFs are implemented as input to the BRT algorithm. The results of the modeling process are plotted to produce spring (groundwater) potential maps. To verify the results, the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) test is applied to the model's output. The findings of the test indicated that the areas under the ROC curves are 75 and 82% for the EBF and EBF-BRT models, respectively. Therefore, it can be inferred that the combination of the two techniques could increase the efficacy of these methods in groundwater potential mapping.
Hydrological Sciences Journal, 2016
ABSTRACT Due to their efficiency, revitalized traditional techniques for irrigation management of... more ABSTRACT Due to their efficiency, revitalized traditional techniques for irrigation management of scarce water resources have been suggested as a way to at least partially cope with the present water crises in the Middle East. A better irrigation management includes re-using treated wastewater in agriculture. Treated wastewater should also be used in industrial processes, thus contributing to a more efficient overall water management. However, the most important change leading to better water management is improving water efficiency in agricultural irrigation. Traditional water management techniques have an important role in many Middle East and North African (MENA) countries. Besides bringing more water to a thirsty population, they can also contribute to the societal awareness, and recognition of the great diversity of cultural and social values water has to human civilization. EDITOR D. Koutsoyiannis; ASSOCIATE EDITOR P. Hubert
This paper uses the Budyko method to investigate mean annual streamflow changes, due to climate v... more This paper uses the Budyko method to investigate mean annual streamflow changes, due to climate variation and human influence, in the important Karkheh River Basin in western Iran. To validate the results, hydrological modeling (HBV model) and Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) images were used for the study period between 1980 and 2012. The recently developed DBEST (Detecting Breakpoints and Estimating Segments in Trend) method identified an abrupt negative change in the streamflow trend in 1994-5. The results show that the observed streamflow decrease in the Karkheh River is associated with both climate variation and human influence. The combination of increased irrigated area (from 9 to 19% of the total basin area), reduction of forests (from 11 to 3%), and decreasing annual precipitation has significantly reduced streamflow in the basin. Moreover, the results show that the streamflow reduction in the Karkheh Basin is more sensitive to the change in precipitation than temperature. 1 Introduction The Karkheh River Basin (KRB), called "the food basket of Iran", is one of the most important agricultural basins in Iran. Irrigated farmland in the basin produces wheat for the entire country, while non-irrigated areas yield grain and livestock products (Ahmad & Giordano, 2010). The KRB is equally essential for hydropower purposes. Nonetheless, due to frequent droughts, massive agricultural activities, and dam construction programs, the KRB has experienced significant streamflow reduction in recent decades (Ahmad & Giordano, 2010). If the streamflow continues to decrease in the near future, the sustainability of food production may be jeopardized. Therefore, it is of vital importance to investigate the reasons for the streamflow reduction and develop a management plan (Masih et al., 2011). Climate variation affects the streamflow directly. For example, changing precipitation patterns and intensity, together with changing temperatures, will greatly modify the streamflow (Jones et al., 2009; Schaake, 1990; Teng et al., 2012). On the other hand, human activities such as land use change, water withdrawal, and hydraulic structures have substantial impacts on streamflow (Guyennon et al., 2017; Haddeland et al., 2014). A basin-wide investigation to quantify the contribution of climate
Sustainability
Land cover changes threaten biodiversity by impacting the natural habitats and require careful an... more Land cover changes threaten biodiversity by impacting the natural habitats and require careful and continuous assessment. The standard approach for assessing these changes is land cover modeling. The present study investigated the spatio-temporal changes in Land Use Land Cover (LULC) in the Gorgan River Basin (GRB) during the 1990–2020 period and predicted the changes by 2040. First, a change analysis employing satellite imagery from 1990 to 2020 was carried out. Then, the Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) technique was used to predict the transition potential. The accuracy rate, training RMS, and testing RMS of the artificial neural network, MLP, and the transition potential modeling were computed in order to evaluate the results. Utilizing projections for 2020, the prediction of land cover change was made. By contrasting the anticipated land cover map of 2020 with the actual land cover map of 2020, the accuracy of the model was evaluated. The LULC conditions in the future were predicte...
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Papers by Hossein Hashemi