Largest Area Research Articles

IDENTIFICATION OF GROUNDWATER POTENTIAL USING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND REMOTE SENSING (CASE STUDY: MOJOKERTO REGENCY)

The impact of the drought problem in Mojokerto Regency resulted in thousands of people having access to clean water. So, it is necessary to plan the utilization of groundwater resources well. Therefore, more serious handling is needed in an effort to overcome the problem of groundwater supply. One of them is the availability of groundwater potential maps. This study aims to determine the identification of aquifer potential and groundwater potential in Mojokerto Regen cy in 2020. This research uses SPO T - 7 satellite imagery to see vegetation density using the NDVI method and uses 5 parameters, namely rainfall, soil texture, rock type/geology, slope, and land use. This study used the AHP method in determining the priority weight value of each parameter. Based on the results of the study, the results were obtained with 3 classifications with the largest area being an area with mode rate groundwater potential of 52,621.285 Ha and the smallest area being an area with low groundwater potential of 2,426.327 Ha. Previous research identified groundwater potential using the NDVI method with Landsat 8 imagery which has a resolution of 30 meters. Therefore, this research is expected to produce better vegetation density by using SPOT-7 imagery to obtain more detailed groundwater potential, because the resolution of the image SPO T -7 is 6 meters. So that this research can be considered in efforts to process the potential of groundwater resources in Mojokerto Regency

Differential diagnosis of lung cancer and tuberculosis based on 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT multi-time points imaging.

To investigate the value of 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose(FDG) PET/CT multi-time points imaging (MTPI) on the differential diagnosis between lung cancer (LC) and tuberculosis (TB). Sixty-four patients underwent 18 F-FDG PET/CT MTPI. The stdSUVmax, stdSUVavg, retention index, metabolic tumor volume, total lesion glycolysis at four-time points and slope of metabolic curve were measured and calculated, and the sex, age, and uniformity of FDG uptake were recorded. The difference in each index between LC and TB was analyzed, and dynamic metabolic curves (DMCs) of LC and TB were fitted by significance indexes. Artificial neural network (ANN) prediction models were established between squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and TB, as well as between adenocarcinomas and TB. Differences between SCC and TB, stdSUVmax/avg at four-time points, total lesion glycolysis, stdSUVmax/avg slope (1-2 h,1-3 h and 1-4 h), uniformity of FDG uptake and age were significant. stdSUVavg has the largest area under the 4 h curve; age was only significant between adenocarcinomas and TB. DMCs at 1-4 h fitted by stdSUVavg were more helpful in differentiating LC and TB than stdSUVmax. stdSUVavg(1 h and 4 h), stdSUVavg slope 1-4 h, age, and uniformity of FDG uptake were selected to establish an ANN prediction model between SCC and TB; the area under the curve (AUC) was 100.0%. The same indices were used to establish the prediction model between adenocarcinomas and TB; the AUC was up to 83.5, and after adding stdSUVavg (2 and 4 h) to adenocarcinomas and TB models, the AUC was 87.7%. 18 F-FDG PET/CT MTPI fitting DMCs and establishing an ANN prediction model would distinguish SCC from TB relatively accurately and provide certain help in the differentiation between adenocarcinomas and TB.

Distribution and Morphometry of Thermocirques in the North of West Siberia, Russia

The Arctic zone of West Siberia (Yamal and Gydan peninsulas) is an area with continuous permafrost and tabular ground ice close to the surface, active thermodenudation, and related landforms: retrogressive thaw slumps (RTS); in Russian referred to as thermocirques (TC). The dimensions of most TCs have not been determined so far. We use Sentinel 2 imagery to measure each TC area ranging from 0.55 to 38 ha with a median of 2.5 ha. Around 95% of TCs have an area of less than 10 ha. The largest areas are gained due to the merging of several neighboring TCs. The ArcticDEM is used to determine TC edge elevation and slope angle. In general, the Median TC of the Yamal peninsula has an area of 1.8 ha, an elevation of the edge of 17.7 m, and a slope angle of 2.5°. The Median TC of the Gydan peninsula has an area of 2.6 ha, elevation of the edge of 29.4 m, and slope angle of 3°. TCs of the Gydan peninsula occupy higher positions and slightly steeper slopes compared to TCs of the Yamal peninsula. The ranges of the median and the largest TC areas are consistent with the reported RTS dimensions in North America.

Creative Hub Planning in East Jakarta with Contemporary Tropical Architecture Approach

The achievements of the world’s greatest economic performance and great prospects due to the rapid development of the Indonesian economy can be realized through the creative economy sector. Creative economy is an economic concept whose products are produced from creativity, ideas, and human knowledge as its main assets. The government also contributed by issuing PERPRES RI No. 6 of 2015, which calls for encouraging, strengthening, and promoting the creative economy in an effort to increase national economic growth. Based on these problems, it is important that there is a creative hub as a center for creative economic activities in each community activity center that is able to lift and develop economic potential in each region, including East Jakarta. As one of the cities with the largest area in DKI Jakarta, East Jakarta has various potentials that should be developed. In planning and designing this architecture, the primary data collection methods were observation and interviews, as well as secondary data collection by document/literature studies. The data obtained will then be processed by descriptive analysis and data synthesis is carried out to develop problem solving in the design of various aspects of the approach. The creative hub plan that will be made in the form of a single building on an area of 17,874 m2 in East Jakarta with a contemporary tropical architectural design approach. Contemporary tropical architecture is oriented to the tropical climate, but has freedom of expression in its design to keep up with the times. This approach aims to achieve user convenience that supports the productivity of the creative community. One application is by using sustainable materials such as wood, natural stone, brick, concrete, bamboo, and so on. Thus, the planned creative hub will be able to provide solutions to all community needs while at the same time having a good impact on the surrounding environment.

Evaluate of green space (Parks) in Duhok city by use Image satellite, Google earth, GIS, (NDVI), and Field survey techniques

Duhok City, the third Governorate in the Kurdistan region and one of the safe and tourist cities in Iraq, located in the Northwestern part of the Iraqi Kurdistan between the latitude 36° 51´ 38.077” N, longitude 42° 52’ 02.998” E and on elevation 565 meter above sea level with area about 76.06 km2, the approximate population of the city for the year 2021 is about 405636 persons according to the Duhok Department of Statistics. The tools and programs used in this study were Image satellite, Google Earth, GIS, GIS and remote sensory (NDVI), Field survey. The results are summarized as following. Nine parks in Duhok city (Alin, Barzani, Buhar, Azadi, Bekhal, Kani Xishmana, Tahsen Taha, Nawroz and Dilshad M. Said). The total area of these parks were 217318 m2, 71.66% of this area was green area, so that the green area percentage for each person in this city was 0.536 m2 per person when compared with some city per capita share we found that this figure was less than the least one Damascus city (0.7) m2 per person and far away from Vienna city that reach (124.6) m2 per person. The evaluation degree of this parks were between 55.2 for Nawroz to 86.6 for Azadi Park (from 100 mark), the system irrigation is sprinkle for all parks. The largest area was Barzani Park with 55879 m2 whereas the smallest area was Alin (7494) m2. The total number of plants are (7280) plants, 2254 of them include many kind of tree, the highest number was cupressus sempervirens (428) tree then Robinia pseudoacaia (338) whereas the less one was Acer negundo just have (6) trees.

KARAKTERISTIK GAMBUT KAWASAN HIDROLOGIS KAHAYAN SEBANGAU PADA SIFAT BIOLOGI DAN GUGUS FUNGSIONALNYA

The purpose of the study was to determine the differences in several soil biological properties and peat functional groups based on the location of soil formation (tidal peat, transitional peat, and inland peat). The study was conducted on peat soils in the Kahayan Sebangau Hydrological area, Central Kalimantan, from June to August 2018. The research method is laboratory observation to determine the biological and chemical properties of soil from each soil sample from each location, soil chemical analysis using the FTIR method and biological properties analysis using the Count Cup method. The variables observed were Total Microbiology, Total Fungi, Total Bacteria, Total Respiration and functional groups at Tidal (PS), Transitional (PR) and Inland (PD) peat locations at depths of 0-25 cm and 25-50 cm. The results showed that based on the location of soil formation (tidal peat, transitional peat, and inland peat) the total population of microorganisms, fungi, bacteria and total respiration was most found in tidal peat, based on the sampling depth that the total population of microorganisms, fungi, bacteria and total respiration was most found at a depth of 0 - 25 cm from its surface, from the results of FTIR analysis of the main functional groups On peat soils that of the three tidal, transitional and inland peat areas that the largest area in the three tidal, transitional and inland areas is dominated by fatty acid and wax functional groups with wavelengths of 3400 – 3000 cm-1. From the results of FTIR analysis at sample depths of 0-25 cm and 25-50, the highest values are wavelengths of 3400-3000 and 3000-2800 cm-1, where in this layer the main characteristics are fatty acids and waxes.

Pros and cons of no-till technology

The article presents the history of the development and implementation of No-till technology abroad and in Ukraine, indicating the countries and years where and when this technology was developed and implemented. It is indicated that a great contribution to the development of the theoretical foundations of minimization of soil cultivation due to No-till technology was made by the scientists of the USA, who, according to most indicators, highly rated this technology. Among its shortcomings, they attributed the deterioration of the ecological situation due to weeds, diseases and pests and the need to apply higher doses of nitrogen fertilizers and herbicides. Scientists of the National Research Center "Institute of Agriculture" of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences add to this list a delay of three to four days with the spring ripening of the soil due to the presence of plant remains in the form of mulch on its surface and the spread of mouse-like rodents. This limitation of the disadvantages of No-till technology makes it quite successful in terms of spread in agricultural production, because annually its area in the world grows by more than 1 million hectares. Its largest areas are in the USA, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, Australia and Paraguay, and in Brazil, no-till technology is included in the ranks of government programs with appropriate crediting. In Europe as a whole, the share of land with No-till technology in the structure of sown areas does not exceed 3 %. The optimal conditions for No-till technology in the forest-steppe and steppe zones of Ukraine are on an area of 5.25 million hectares, but its development is currently far from 1 million hectares. The problem of the prevalence of no-till technology in domestic production is seen by the majority of scientists as excessive weediness of the crops grown for it, although in our opinion this phenomenon is possible only in the early stages of the development of the technology without tillage. No-till technology has its future, because only it, among many other technologies, can guarantee an extended reproduction of soil fertility. Key words: No-till technology, weediness of sowing, soil fertility.

State of soil fertility in Lviv Region

The main indicators of soil fertility based on the results of an agrochemical survey of agricultural lands of Lviv region in the XI round (2016–2020) are given. It was established that the acidity of the soil solution in the region is dominated by lands with a neutral reaction of the soil solution (31.3%). The weighted average indicator of saline pH is 6.0, which corresponds to a close to neutral reaction of the soil solution. According to the level of humus provision, soils with an average humus content prevail (36.1%) and the weighted average humus content in the region is 2.6%. According to the content of easily hydrolyzable nitrogen, most of the lands have a low (60.4%) and medium nitrogen content (18.0%). The weighted average indicator of easily hydrolyzable nitrogen content for the reporting period is 125.6 mg/kg of soil, which corresponds to the low availability of this element. The region is dominated by lands with increased (25.1%) and high content of mobile phosphorus compounds (25.3%) and the weighted average indicator of the content of mobile phosphorus compounds is 107.2 mg/kg, which corresponds to increased availability. In terms of the content of mobile potassium compounds, lands with average potassium content (30.3%) prevail and the weighted average indicator of the content of mobile potassium compounds is 72.2 mg/kg, which corresponds to the average supply with macro element. It was established that in Lviv region, the largest area is occupied by soils of average quality (52.2%), and the average weighted assessment of agricultural land in Lviv region is 43. A comparison of the qualitative assessment of the soils of Lviv region for the X (2011–2015) and XI rounds (2016–2020) of agrochemical examinations is carried out. The results established that the quality of the soils in the Starosambir, Mostysky, Radekhiv and Drohobytsky districts has hardly changed. The quality assessment of the soils of Busky, Zhovkivskyi, Kamianka-Buskyi and Sokalskyi districts improved by 2–4 points, the qualitative assessment of the land condition of Peremyshlyanskyi, Zolochivskyi and Yavorivskyi districts improved by 7-19 points. A decrease in land quality indicators by 2-5 points was recorded in Brodivskyi, Pustomytivskyi, Sambirskyi and Stryiskyi districts, indicators of the qualitative assessment of land condition in Zhydachivskyi and Mykolaivskyi districts worsened by 12-13 points.

Stratifying the risks of venous thromboembolism in the lateral skull base surgery using Caprini risk assessment model

To analyze and stratify the possible risk factors of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in lateral skull base surgery (LSBS) using the Caprini risk assessment model. In a single center, a retrospective study was conducted with patients who underwent LSBS from June 2016 to August 2021. The clinical characteristics and blood chemistry tests were collected. The incidence of VTE within 30days of surgery was recorded. The Caprini risk score was calculated to assess the postoperative VTE risk. Among the 123 patients in this study, the VTE incidence within 30 postoperative days was 8.9%. The total Caprini risk score in VTE patients (5.6 ± 1.9 points) was significantly higher than that of non-VTE patients (4.6 ± 1.4 points; p = 0.028). The binary logistic regression showed the total Caprini score as the only independent indicator of postoperative VTE. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the Caprini score at 6.5 points had low sensitivity (36.4%) but high specificity (91.1%), with the largest area under the curve being 0.659. The VTE rate was significantly higher in patients with a total Caprini score ≥ 7 points (28.6%) compared to those with a total Caprini score ≤ 6 points (7.3%; p = 0.022). LSBS patients have a high risk of developing postoperative VTE. Patients with a Caprini score ≥ 7 points had a significantly higher risk of developing VTE after LSBS. The Caprini risk system was useful in assessing the VTE risk in LSBS. However, more data, calibration, and validation are necessary to establish an exclusive Caprini risk system for LSBS.

Typewriter Tinnitus: Value of ABR as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Indicator.

Typewriter tinnitus refers to a special kind of staccato tinnitus, which is mostly described by patients as Morse code, popcorn, or machine-gun. It has been accepted that the mechanism of typewriter tinnitus is caused by the neurovascular compression of the cochleovestibular nerve. Patients who suffered from typewriter tinnitus have exhibited a good response to carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine, but there is a risk of recurrence after treatment cessation. The present study aims to determine the value of auditory brainstem response (ABR) in diagnosing typewriter tinnitus and predicting relapse after drug withdrawal. Patients who presented with typewriter tinnitus from March 2019 to March 2022 were included for the present retrospective study. The auditory and vestibular test results and drug treatment effects were collected and analyzed. Patients with idiopathic unilateral subjective tinnitus, who were matched by age to patients with typewriter tinnitus at a ratio of 2:1, were consecutively recruited for the control group. Eighteen patients with typewriter tinnitus and 38 controls were included. Ears with typewriter tinnitus had longer interpeak latency (IPL) I-III, and wave III and V latencies, and a higher ratio of IPL I-III ≥2.3 ms based on ABR, when compared to the unaffected side and controls ( p <0.05). Seventeen patients with typewriter tinnitus responded positively to medication. Among these patients, seven patients had a relapse after drug cessation, while 10 patients did not have a relapse. The relapse group had significantly longer IPL I-III and wave V latency, older age, and poorer hearing, when compared to the nonrelapse group ( p < 0.05). Furthermore, IPL I-III had the largest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, and the optimal cutoff was 2.4 ms (sensitivity, 100.0%; specificity, 66.7%). There were no significant differences in other demography or other clinical test results between the relapse and nonrelapse groups ( p > 0.05). Ramsay Hunt syndrome and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders were identified in two cases. Prolonged IPL I-III based on ABR can help in the diagnosis of typewriter tinnitus and its prognosis after treatment cessation. Patients with IPL I-III greater than 2.4 ms, older age and poorer hearing are more likely to relapse. In addition to the neurovascular conflict of the cochleovestibular nerve, the etiologies of neuroinflammation and demyelinating diseases are also possible for typewriter tinnitus.

The Effect of Investment in The Banyuwangi Economy

Banyuwangi is the largest area in East Java. With natural wealth and tourism potential and the agricultural sector is getting better. So many investors have started to invest in Banyuwangi Regency. Likewise, people are starting to be interested in the world of investment, both in the capital market sector and the traditional investment sector. These reasons motivated researchers to continue their research related to the effect of investment in Banyuwangi Regency. This is in line with the high interest in investment, so there are also cases of civil and criminal crimes related to investment. All of these cases can occur because of the minimal level of public knowledge about investment and all its derivatives. Therefore, in addition to studying the influence of investment on the economy, this article also adds insight to the readers so that the level of crime and fraud under underinvestment can be suppressed.

Geochemical survey of soil nitrogen and phosphorus in Valle De Bravo-Amanalco Basin, Mexico

The Valle de Bravo-Amanalco watershed is one of the main sources of drinking water for the municipalities of the State of Mexico and the Mexico City and has the second largest area under authorized forest management in Mexico. Despite being a natural strategy region in the Mexican geography, it does not present an updated evaluation of the natural conditions of its soils that could create a bottleneck in the short, medium or long term in the optimal use of forest and water resources. Therefore, we conducted a geochemical study of nitrogen and phosphorus in soils, following a stratified sampling methodology identifying 15 strata and taking 30 points, at least one in each stratum. We found that the soils of the basin have a nitrogen content favorable for agricultural and forestry exploitation. As a consequence of the low soil pH due to the volcanic lithology, phosphorus values throughout the basin are deficient, reducing the rate at which forest biomass increases, resulting in a decrease in the aerial fixation of carbon, which is an essential component for the optimal operation of biological mechanisms, affecting the possible trade of carbon credits or timber production. Regarding water resources, iron-linked phosphorus compounds transported to the dam can influence eutrophication through the release of this element under anoxic conditions, with main relevance in soils with friable and highly erodible textures, thus it is recommended not to take measures that reduce the forest mass in an accelerated manner.

Intensity Analysis to Communicate Detailed Detection of Land Use and Land Cover Change in Chang-Zhu-Tan Metropolitan Region, China

Quantifying the change in land use and land cover (LULC) is critical for revealing the impact of human activities on the environment of the Earth’s surface. Although some studies were conducted on the change in LULC in rapidly urbanizing areas, conventional methods could not provide a systematic understanding of the changes and their underlying causes. This study adopted an enhanced Intensity Analysis and landscape matrices to deeply explore the change information and expansion modes of LULC in the Chang-Zhu-Tan Metropolitan Region (CZTMR). This exploration was based on remote sensing images from the past 40 years and GIS tools. The results show that the overall change in the LULC accelerated during the period 1980–2020, with its intensity expanding by 16 times. The Built gain and the Crop loss were steadily active. The Built gain was derived mainly from Crop and Forest, and its mode was dominated by edge expansion. It was detected that the Built gain steadily targeted Crop but avoided Forest despite Built gaining a large area from Forest. The reason for this is because Forest initially had the largest area. The measurement results contribute to the formulation of urban plans and land policies for sustainable development in the CZTMR. Our study explained the evolution of Intensity Analysis and its analytical thought, which could be employed in other regions for the detection of land change to help decision makers develop more targeted and sustainable land management strategies.

The rapid rise of severe marine heat wave systems

We introduce a new methodology to study marine heat waves (MHWs), extreme events in the sea surface temperature (SST) of the global ocean. Motivated by previously large and impactful MHWs and by theoretical expectation that the dominant heating processes coherently affect large regions of the ocean, we introduce a methodology from computer vision to construct marine heat wave systems (MWHSs) – the collation of SST extrema in dimensions of area and time. We identify 649 475 MHWSs in the 37 year period (1983–2019) of daily SST records and find that the duration (days), maximum area (km2), and total ‘volume’ (days km2) for the majority of MHWSs are well-described by power-law distributions: and . These characteristics confirm SST extrema exhibit strong spatial coherence that define the formation and evolution of MHWs. Furthermore, the most severe MHWSs deviate from these power-laws and are the dominant manifestation of MHWs: extrema in ocean heating are driven by the systems with largest area and duration. We further demonstrate that the previously purported rise in the incidence of MHW events over the past decade is only significant in these severe systems. A change point analysis reveals a rapid increase in days under a severe MHW in most regions of the global ocean over the period of 2000–2005. Understanding the origin and impacts of MHWs in the current and future ocean, therefore, should focus on the production and evolution of the largest-scale and longest-duration heating phenomena.

Identifikasi Senyawa Aktif Antibakteri dari Ekstrak Bajakah (Spatholobus Littoralisk Hask) dengan GCMS (Gass Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy)

Bajakah wood (Spatholobus Littoralisk Hask) is empirically used by the community to treat stomach pain, diarrhea and is even believed to be able to treat cancer. Several studies have shown its activity as an antibacterial. The purpose of this study was to identify compounds with antibacterial properties using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy (GCMS). The method used in this research is the experimental method. Bajakah plants were obtained from seven different areas, then extracted and fractionated. The fraction identified in this study was the n-hexan fraction. Preliminary tests were carried out using thin layer chromatography (TLC) bioautography for compounds that have the potential as antibacterial. Compounds in the n-Hexan fraction were further identified using Gass Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy (GCMS). The results showed Bajakah wood from seven regions had antibacterial activity seen from the formation of inhibition zones on compound spots on TLC that had been planted in agar media. There are 23 types of compounds identified by GCMS in this n-hexan fraction. In this study, the dominant compound seen from the largest area was Stigmast-5-en-3-ol, (3.beta.,24S)- (CAS) Clionaster (26.74%). The results of TLC bioautography of the n-Hexan fraction showed antibacterial activity and the dominant compound was Stigmast-5-en-3-ol, (3.beta.,24S)- (CAS) Clionaster.

Potential Land Reserves for Agriculture in Indonesia: Suitability and Legal Aspect Supporting Food Sufficiency

Information on land reserves is crucial and required to support agricultural development in relation to increased population pressure, food demand, and food security. This research aims to identify and evaluate idle abandoned land based on biophysical suitability, status of land concessions, and forest areas to determine potential land reserves for agricultural development to support food security in Indonesia. The results show that, at the national level, the area of suitable abandoned lands for agricultural extensification is 27.7 million ha, but most of these lands have concession permits and are located in forest areas, so 12.4 million ha are still available, with the largest area being in dry land. The identification of abandoned land by employing satellite imagery in 54 districts resulted in a smaller acreage compared to abandoned land being mapped formally at 1:250,000. After considering land ownership and forest status, both sources resulted in similar areas at a scale of 1:50,000 and 1:250,000, i.e., 6.1 million ha and 6.0 million ha, respectively. It seems that land ownership and forest status adjusted the total acreage of identified land reserves at different map scales. An area of around 7.4 million ha will be required to meet food demand in 2045 by assuming constant consumption per capita. We found about 1.7 million ha as potential land reserves, most of which are in conversion or production forests areas. Converting forests or utilizing drylands could be potential alternatives to deal with the lack of land for food production. Moreover, due to limited wetlands, the use of reserve land in that agroecological zone should be in accordance with its designation, comply with the priority principles, and be supported by government regulations and policies, so that food security can be maintained until 2045.

PEMANFAATAN DATA PENGINDERAAN JAUH DAN SISTEM INFORMASI GEOGRAFIS (SIG) UNTUK ANALISA BANJIR (STUDI KASUS: KECAMATAN WANAREJA KABUPATEN CILACAP)

Wanareja Subdistrict is one of 24 subdistricts in Cilacap Regency which experiences floods every year. In 2022, until September, Wanareja District will experience four floods. Utilization of remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be used to determine the level of vulnerability to flood disasters. This study aims to process the parameters that cause flooding and create a flood hazard map using Geographic Information System (GIS) aplikasi. The method used is scoring, weighting, and overlaying the parameters that cause flooding, namely land use, rainfall, slope, altitude, soil type, and river buffer which are processed using the ArcGIS 10.8 application. The results of this study are in the form of a flood vulnerability map which shows that Wanareja District has three levels of flood vulnerability, namely safe, low, and moderate. The low vulnerability level is the area that has the largest area, namely 9927.26 Ha (52%), while the medium vulnerability level is 7254.53 Ha (38%), and the safe vulnerability level has the smallest area, namely 1909.09 Ha (10%) of the total area in the Wanareja District of 19090.88 Ha

Scenario-based urban growth simulation by incorporating ecological-agricultural-urban suitability into a Future Land Use Simulation model

China's rapid urbanization has imposed a considerable strain on land resources and infrastructure, resulting in environmental deterioration, food shortage, traffic congestion, and various other challenges. The urban growth boundary (UGB) is regarded as an important policy instrument for managing and curbing urban sprawl. Previous studies on UGB have focused on the quantity and spatial constraints of built-up land concerning natural resources conservation. However, achieving a balance between urban conservation and development by easing the conflict between land functions is not yet well understood. To bridge this gap, combining “bottom-up” local spatial simulation with “top-down” regulation and human constraint, this study simulated multi-scenario urban expansion and UGB in Jiangsu Province, China in 2035 using ecological-agricultural-urban suitability assessment and a Future Land Use Simulation (FLUS) model. The results show that the maintenance of different land functions will have a significant impact on the number, spatial distribution, and landscape characteristics of UGB. Under the integrated development scenario, UGB will have the largest area (27,893.33 km2) with the most significant agglomeration characteristics. The delineated UGB, coupling ecological-agricultural-urban suitability, will reflect regional heterogeneous resource endowment and can further alleviate conflicts between multiple objectives. For fairness and equality between cities, future urban expansion should emphasize the development of less-developed areas. This study expands a new insight for simulating urban expansion and offers practical recommendations for orderly urban growth and sustainable urban management in other cities.

Dryland river regime shifts in Iran: Drivers and feedbacks

AbstractIn the Anthropocene, human activities have created unprecedented changes and nonlinear relationships between humans and nature. These changes can be much faster and more intense in arid and semiarid areas that have been affected by intense human activities. Iran has climates from very humid to very dry, but arid and semiarid climates cover the country's largest area. Many of these arid areas have undergone severe changes in their surface and groundwater ecosystems in recent years, which have caused severe damage to humans and the environment in the area and surrounding areas. Therefore, in this study, using the theory of regime shifts, the time series of the Zayandeh‐Rud River Basin in the center of Iran were analyzed. First, the data of the desired time series in the period of 1986–2018 was arranged seasonally. Then, using the sequential t‐test method, regime shifts in these time series were identified, and then, causal loop diagrams of these shifts and their drivers and feedbacks were interpreted. The results showed that in the time series of quantity and quality of surface water and groundwater level in the studied stations and aquifers, regime shifts can be identified. Regime shifts were also identified in the time series of agricultural land area. These shifts have occurred with the increase in human activities since the early 1950s in the metropolis of Isfahan, the increase in agricultural and industrial exploitation, and consequently, the increase in population. When this reinforcing feedback loop becomes dominant, the Zayandeh‐Rud River system has shifted from a regime of rich water resources to a regime of poor water resources. However, by recognizing and systematically analyzing these shifts, the Zayandeh‐Rud River system can be directed toward a sustainable system through structural reform, negotiation, and redefining goals.

Determination of soil quality index in areas with high erosion risk and usability in watershed rehabilitation applications

Erosion is an important environmental issue threatening natural resources and ecosystems, especially soil and water. Soil losses occur in many parts of the world due to erosion at different degrees, and various rehabilitation plans have been carried out to reduce these losses. However, soil protection applications are generally carried out by considering only the essential characteristics of the soil. This may decrease the chance of success of rehabilitation applications. The present study aimed to determine the soil quality index (SQI) by weighting the soil quality parameters according to the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) in the Çapakçur microcatchment (Bingöl, Türkiye) where soil loss is high. Accordingly, 428 soil samples were taken from the study area and analyzed. The soil losses in the Çapakçur watershed were calculated employing the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE). To determine the soil quality index, a total of 20 indicators were used, including (i) physical soil properties, (ii) chemical soil properties, and (iii) soil nutrient content. Soil quality index results are divided into classes between 1 and 5. As a result of the study, the annual total amount of soil lost from the microcatchment was calculated as 96,915.20 tons, and the yearly average amount of soil lost from the unit area was calculated as 10.14 tonsha-1. According to SQI, the largest area in the microcatchment was Class-2 (weak), with 39.49%, whereas the smallest area was 1.4% (the most suitable). However, it was determined that there was a significant negative relationship between SQI and soil erodibility. Considering the SQI distribution of the area in the planning of soil protection and erosion prevention practices in watershed rehabilitation studies may increase success.