Semi-arid Climate Zones Research Articles

Modelling the Climate Change on Crop Estimation in the Semi-Arid Region of Pakistan Using Multispectral Remote Sensing

Remote sensing (RS) is a tool in modern years for the monitoring of crops. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from multi-temporal satellite imagery facilitates the analysis of vegetation growth stage, while comparing it with field/historical departmental yield data. Historical metrological data is also very useful in crop yield estimation especially in arid/semi-arid climatic zones. The metrological conditions including rainfall, humidity, sunshine, and temperature plays vital role in the growth and yield of crops; thus, the climatic conditions can adversely affect the crop yields if are not in accordance with growth requirement of a particular crop. Most of the agricultural land of Punjab province is in semi-arid climatic zone including Chakwal, Jhelum, Mianwali, Khushab, Sargodha, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Shiekhupura, Nankana Sahib, Lahore, Kasur, Faislabad and Chiniot districts. The study will investigate the impact of climate change on wheat crop yields of Chakwal district using advanced RS techniques from 1990 to 2015. Image classification to determine arable and non-arable lands; estimation of changes in temperature using thermal bands of satellite imagery, comparison of historical NDVI profiles; use of climatic data along with nonspatial departmental data for crop yield estimation and drawing its relationship with climatic variables.

Tree-ring evidence of the impacts of climate change and agricultural cultivation on vegetation coverage in the upper reaches of the Weihe River, northwest China

Comprehending the characteristics and causes of vegetation coverage in history is of practical significance for studying ecological and environmental changes. As a typical region of the semi-arid and semi-humid climatic zone in northwest China, the upper reaches of the Weihe River have relatively fragile ecological environment. Based on tree-ring width chronologies, the vegetation coverage represented by the normalized difference vegetation index was reconstructed from 1630 to 2006 using a regression model. There were 64 years with high vegetation coverage and 56 years with low vegetation coverage over the past 377 years. At low frequencies, the coverage was relatively higher in the 1650s and from the 1880s to 1890s, while the coverage was lower in the 1720s and from the 1760s to 1770s. While precipitation and temperature had positive and negative influences on the changes of vegetation coverage, respectively, during the past several centuries, the agricultural cultivation played an important role on coverage changes. Along with the land reclamation expansion in history, the forest cover gradually declined, and vegetation coverage decreased. The vegetation coverage was lower when there were more arable lands reclaimed from woodlands. Regardless of the land reclamation policy during the historical period or the current conversion project of cropland to forest, they affected the vegetation coverage by influencing cover ranges of woodland and farmland.

Monitoring and Prediction of Land Use Land Cover Changes and its Impact on Land Surface Temperature in the Central Part of Hisar District, Haryana Under Semi-Arid Zone of India

Abstract Land use Land cover have significance in relation to Land, the most vital and fundamental resource pertaining to the urban development. Unprecedented urban growth has a noteworthy impact on natural landscape by converting natural land-cover in Haryana. Hisar, an area recognized for rapid urban growth is less explored in terms of research. The present research has shown a significant change in land use in terms of expansion of built-up area from 3.7 % (1991) to 5.0 % (2001) and 6.2 % (2011) by encroaching into agricultural land. Despite the clear difference between average land surface temperature for built up and non-built up area, grazing land and sandy waste, bare land in the rural surrounding possess higher temperature compared to the city core which contradicts the reported impact of urbanization earlier. Such contrary pertains to sparse vegetation cover leading to reduced evaporative cooling during dry pre-monsoon summer in the rural surrounding. On the other side, green parks and plantation in the city contribute to lower mean temperature because of high rates of evapotranspiration and produce ‘oasis effect’ in the present study area located in semi-arid climatic zone. Regression analysis between temperature and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Built-up Index exhibited a strong negative and positive correlation respectively (Pearson’s r: between -0.79 to -0.87 and between 0.79 to 0.84 respectively). Future land use prediction project an increase (1.3 %) in built-up area from 2011 to 2021. This study recommends urban plantation and prohibition to overgrazing to check the heat effect.

Validation of The Weather Generator CLIGEN with Season Precipitation Data in Tokat Province

In models that predict hydrologic, ecological and product-yield relationship, the climate interface file is widely used. Today, CLIGEN is the most widely used climate model. While this model is extensively used in many countries around the world, it is not used commonly in our country. In this study, daily data belonging to Tokat climate conditions were simulated with CLIGEN. Observed and simulated precipitation was classified as the wet/dry period. The performance of the CLIGEN climate model was evaluated in both wet and dry periods according to the seasons. The relationship between the obtained precipitation data was statistically determined by Kolmogorov-Smirnov and t-test. Tokat province is located in the arid and semi-arid climate zone. The performance of the model in predicting precipitation in all seasons during the dry period was found to be quite successful.

Evaluating ephemeral watercourse discharges by hydrologic-hydraulic modelling: application to the Kert River basin, Morocco

ABSTRACT Studying ephemeral watercourses situated in semiarid Mediterranean climate zones is a challenge in hydraulic and hydrological studies. Using SOBEK-River one-dimensional (1D) software, we modelled rainfall-runoff in rural areas, specifically in a portion of the Kert River basin near its mouth, to study its upstream hydrographic network and produced valuable modelled data for the torrential flood of 26 October 2008. This study is the result of a research project aimed at estimating the discharge on a coastline designed for the construction of a big harbor in Morocco. The use of SOBEK River 1D was necessary to make a decision on the direction of opening of the quays of this harbor. The watercourses studied were located in an ungauged basin, therefore, the need to use other methods to make a comparison. We compared the results obtained with the flows calculated by index flood assessments. The modelled discharges of the creeks were similar to the estimates of the discharges recorded elsewhere during this flood event; thus, similar models could be applied to similar semiarid climates worldwide. Our results show that rainfall-runoff modelling can be useful for approximating discharges in ephemeral watercourses.

The Capacity of the Hydrological Modeling for Water Resource Assessment under the Changing Environment in Semi-Arid River Basins in China

Conducting water resource assessment and forecasting at a basin scale requires effective and accurate simulation of the hydrological process. However, intensive, complex human activities and environmental changes are constraining and challenging the hydrological modeling development and application by complicating the hydrological cycle within its local contexts. Six sub-catchments of the Yellow River basin, the second-largest river in China, situated in a semi-arid climate zone, have been selected for this study, considering hydrological processes under a natural period (before 1970) and under intensive human disturbance (2000–2013). The study aims to assess the capacity and performance of the hydrological models in simulating the discharge under a changing environment. Four well-documented and applied hydrological models, i.e., the Xin’anjiang (XAJ) model, GR4J model, SIMHYD model, and RCCC-WBM (Water Balance Model developed by Research Center for Climate Change) model, were selected for this assessment. The results show that (1) the annual areal temperature of all sub-catchments presented a significant rising trend, and annual precipitation exhibited insignificant decline trend; (2) as a result of climate change and intensive human activities, the annual runoff series showed a declining trend with abrupt changes mostly occurring in the 1980s with the exception of the Tangnaihai station; (3) the four hydrological models generally performed well for runoff simulation for all sub-catchments under the natural period. In terms of Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient, the XAJ model worked better in comparison to other hydrological models due to its detailed representations and complicated mechanism in runoff generation and flow-routing scheme; (4) environmental changes have impacted the performance of the four hydrological models under all sub-catchments, in particularly the Pianguan River catchment, which is could be attributed to the various human activities that in turn represent more complexity for the regional hydrological cycle to some extent, and reduce the ability to predict the runoff series; (5) the RCCC-WBM model, well known for its simple structure and principles, is considered to be acceptable for runoff simulation for both natural and human disturbance periods, and is recommended for water resource assessment under changing environments for semi-arid regions.

Use of remote sensing and long-term in-situ time-series data in an integrated hydrological model of the Central Kalahari Basin, Southern Africa

Distributed numerical models, considered as optimal tools for groundwater resources management, have always been constrained by availability of spatio-temporal input data. This problem is particularly distinct in arid and semi-arid developing countries, characterized by large spatio-temporal variability of water fluxes but scarce ground-based monitoring networks. That problem can be mitigated by remote sensing (RS) methods, which nowadays are applicable for modelling not only surface-water but also groundwater resources, through rapidly increasing applications of integrated hydrological models (IHMs). This study shows implementation of various RS products in the IHM of the Central Kalahari Basin (~200 Mm2) multi-layered aquifer system, characterized by semi-arid climate and thick unsaturated zone, both enhancing evapotranspiration. The MODFLOW-NWT model with UZF1 package, accounting for variably saturated flow, was set up and calibrated in transient conditions throughout 13.5 years using borehole hydraulic heads as state variables and RS-based daily rainfall and potential evapotranspiration as driving forces. Other RS input data included: digital-elevation-model, land-use/land-cover and soils datasets. The model characterized spatio-temporal water flux dynamics, providing 13-year (2002–2014) daily and annual water balances, thereby evaluating groundwater-resource dynamics and replenishment. The balances showed the dominant role of evapotranspiration in restricting gross recharge to only a few mm yr−1 and typically negative net recharge (median, −1.5 mm yr−1), varying from −3.6 (2013) to +3.0 (2006) mm yr−1 (rainfall of 287 and 664 mm yr−1 respectively) and implying systematic water-table decline. The rainfall, surface morphology, unsaturated zone thickness and vegetation type/density were primary determinants of the spatio-temporal net recharge distribution.

Evaluation of a radiation-based empirical model for estimating hourly reference evapotranspiration for high-altitude climatic conditions: A case study for the state of California

High-altitude (>800 m) climatic conditions for the four stations in arid, semiarid and subhumid climatic zones were examined to evaluate their influence on radiation-based empirical estimations of reference evapotranspiration ( $${ET}_{\mathrm{o}}$$ ) on an hourly time step. The empirical method utilises the incoming solar radiation and the relationship between a function of relative humidity and vapour pressure deficit. The empirical method overestimated $${ET}_{\mathrm{o}}$$ by 21.4%, on a yearly basis, 27.0% for the winter period and 16.3% for the summer period, compared with the estimations of the American Society of Civil Engineers Penman Monteith (ASCE PM) (2005) method. Various meteorological variables included in the energy and the aerodynamic term of the ASCE PM (2005) method were investigated with respect to altitude. The increasing trend of incoming solar radiation combined with the decreasing trend of relative humidity, both with respect to altitude were the main causes for the underestimation of the empirical radiation method. The empirical method was adjusted for high-altitude climatic conditions by multiplying the values by the ratio of the atmospheric pressure corresponding to the altitude of the station to the atmospheric pressure at sea level. The adjusted values were overestimated by 3.4% compared to the estimations of the ASCE PM (2005) method (higher overestimation: 9.1% and lower overestimation: 0.8%). The value of $$0.073\hbox { mm h}^{-1}$$ was considered as the upper limit for the satisfactory performance of the empirical method. The root mean square error (RMSE) values ranged from 0.038 to $$0.054\hbox { mm h}^{-1}$$ and the $$R^{2}$$ values ranged from 0.95 to 0.97. The values of the wind speed and vapour pressure deficit (not included in the empirical method) were divided into intervals and the RMSE values between the values of the estimations of the empirical method and the values of the estimations of the ASCE PM (2005) were calculated for each interval. The RMSE values calculated for the intervals of the values of the wind speed ranged from 0.036 to $$0.065\hbox { mm h}^{-1}$$ and were satisfactory. The vapour pressure deficit values <2.5 kPa also yielded satisfactory RMSE values and accounted for 96.1% of the data.

Spatial–Temporal Variation of ANPP and Rain-Use Efficiency Along a Precipitation Gradient on Changtang Plateau, Tibet

Aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and rain-use efficiency (RUE) are important indicators in assessing the response of ecosystems to climate change. In this paper, the Changtang Plateau in the Tibetan Autonomous Region was selected as the study area to analyze the spatial and temporal changes of ANPP and RUE in grassland communities and their response to climate change. The results showed the following:(1) The spatial pattern of ANPP was closely related to rainfall on the Changtang Plateau. The average ANPP over the past 15 years increased gradually from the arid west to the humid east. A consistent pattern was exhibited in different grassland types and climate zones. (2) The RUE was higher at the east and west edges of the Changtang Plateau, especially in the arid west, but was lower in the center. From the perspective of different climatic zones, the average RUE in the southern Tibetan semiarid climate zone and the Ngari arid climate zone was significantly higher than that in other climate zones. However, the average RUE in different grassland types only varied from 0.07 to 0.09 g·m−2·mm−1. The spatial variation in RUE was more distinct in different climatic zones than in different grassland types. (3) Climate change influenced the interannual variation of ANPP and RUE, but the response of ANPP to rainfall showed a significant lag. The interannual change in RUE was negatively correlated with changes in precipitation. (4) In general, a greater area showed a significant increase rather than a decrease in ANPP on the Changtang Plateau, which meant that the grassland condition is improving. The temporal variation patterns of ANPP and RUE in different climate zones were consistent with the overall patterns on the Changtang Plateau, while the variation was not significant in different grassland types.

Chemical weathering indices applied to soils developed on old lake sediments in a semi-arid region of Turkey

Climate is a major influence on weathering processes affecting soil parent materials. Important contributors to soil formation in arid and semi-arid climatic zones are the diurnal cycles of solar heating and cooling that cause mechanical or physical disintegration of rock or parent materials, and wind-blown sands that score and abrade exposed rock surfaces. By using the Soil Taxonomy classification system, the initial aim of this study was to carry out a pedological evaluation for four soil profiles, classified as Xeric Haplocalcid and Xeric Haplocambid, formed on different parent materials (limestone, marl and old alluvial deposits) under the same conditions, including topography and vegetation, in a semiarid region. The second stage was the exploration of the similarities and differences in the classifications resulting from either the pedogenic processes, or from other factors, by determining the degree of soil weathering using geochemical data. To achieve this, soil samples were collected from the horizons to investigate their mineralogical, geochemical and physiochemical properties. The study also considered other features, such as the pedogenic evolution of soils, through the use of weathering indices, namely the Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA), Chemical Index of Weathering (CIW), Base/R2O3 Ratio, Weathering Index of Parker (WIP) and Plagioclase Index of Alteration (PIA). The results clearly showed that soil development at the Altınova State Farm at Konya in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey is due to slow pr ogressive weathering. For this case, the main indicators are secondary calcium carbonate illuviation and weak structural development with a weathering ratio of silicon to aluminium greater than two in all profiles.

Surface Water Resource Protection in a Mining Process under Varying Strata Thickness—A Case Study of Buliangou Coal Mine, China

The mining of shallow buried and thick coal seams may cause ground settlement, loss of surface water, and even soil desertification in arid–semi-arid climate zones. The key to protecting surface water resources through the technology of separated strata grouting is to study the evolution of the separation space under the key stratum (KS) with the change of strata. Aiming at the section of underground strata characteristics of F6202 and F6208 working faces, similar simulation tests under three typical geological conditions were carried out. Based on the experimental results, a theoretical calculation model was established, and the practice of separation grouting was carried out. The results show that, under the conditions of a thick coal seam with one KS, the structure formed by breaking strata below the KS was relatively unstable, and the separation space was relatively large, which is likely to cause serious ground settlement. More seriously, with the increase of the weakly consolidated layer and coal seam thickness, the increase of the ratio of rock to soil in the weakly consolidated layer, and the decrease of the thickness of the strata below the KS (two KS condition), the separation space was further increased. Based on the above analysis, combined with the real-time feedback data of the grout amount and pressure on hydraulic support, the position of the grouting borehole was determined, and the speed of mining advance was adjusted in time, thus effectively controlling the curvature of the ground settlement, protecting the integrity of the red clay layer near the surface, and consequently protecting water resources.

Assessing Households’ Gas and Electricity Consumption: A Case Study of Djelfa, Algeria

Abstract Households are the major energy consumer and contributor to the emission of greenhouse gases. The Algerian policy of mastering energy has improved building energy efficiency since 1994 by introducing thermal regulation (DTR). However, energy consumption is still increasing instead of decreasing, which is mainly due to occupants’ behaviour which is difficult to estimate and predict. This paper explores the impact of households and housing characteristics on residential gas and electricity consumption in the 36 municipalities of the department of Djelfa (Algeria) which is located in an arid and semi-arid climate zone. This paper is based on GIS and statistical techniques. It considers the yearly gas and electricity energy consumption (2013) of the municipalities of the department of Djelfa. The method is organised in four steps: (a) a multiple linear regression is used to construct two estimative models of gas and electricity. The models have more than 93% of accuracy for both gas and electricity models; (b) estimating gas and electricity consumption for 2008 according to the developed models; (c) organisation of the census data of 2008 in five dimensions: the population distribution, household characteristics, housing type and occupancy, and finally household appliance ownership; (d) a set of sensitivity analysis is performed based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Pearson’s bivariate correlation and finally a path analysis is performed based on Structural Equation Model (SEM) to assess the importance of each variable. The overall impact of all these variables indicates that increasing the household size is the first factor reducing the electricity and gas consumption followed by the housing surface, density, room occupancy, and older households, while increasing the education level and appliance ownership boosts both per-capita gas and electricity consumption.

Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity of Essential Oils of Three Medicinal Plants from Algerian Semi-Arid Climatic Zone

The present study was carried out to determine, for the first time, the chemical composition and antibacterial activity of essential oils derived from the aerial parts of three aromatic plants Thymus algeriensis Boiss &amp; Reut, Rosmarinus officinalis L., and Salvia officinalis L. growing under semiarid conditions. The essential oils were chemically analyzed and identified by gas chromatography (GC) and GC/ mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and their antimicrobial activity was individually evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using both agar disk diffusion and agar dilution methods. The major constituents of Thymus algeriensis essential oil were identified as camphor (13.62%), 1,8-cineol (6.00%), borneol (5.74%), viridiflorol (4.00%), and linalool (3.93%). For Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil, 48 compounds were characterized, of which the main constituents were camphor (17.09%), Z-β-ocimene (10.88%), isoborneol (9.68%), α-bisabolol (7.89%), and borneol (5.11%). While, Salvia officinalis essential oil was characterized by β-thujone (16.44%), followed by viridiflorol (10.93%), camphor (8.99%), 1,8-cineol (8.11%), trans-caryophyllene (5.85%), and α-humulene (4.69%) as the major components. Notably, results from antibacterial screening indicated that Thymus algeriensis and Salvia officinalis essential oils exhibited a strong inhibitory effect against both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus compared to Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil. Further, less activity was recorded against Pseudomonas aeruginosa for the three tested essential oils.

Model development and performance evaluation of an earth air heat exchanger under a constrained urban environment

An earth air heat exchanger (EAHE) is an underground heat exchanger that captures or dissipates heat to the ground and hence moderates the temperature of the air flowing through it. Though a promising energy efficient option for thermal comfort, EAHE has not diffused much in the society. One reason for its limited application is space constraint. This includes restrictions on the length and route of the EAHE pipe, positioning of the EAHE, the forced interaction between the civil foundations and the EAHE etc. In order to investigate the effectiveness of such a ‘constrained’ EAHE, an EAHE was installed under such urban constraints and its performance was measured. Simultaneously a predictive 3-dimensional numerical transient model was developed to study the impact of model parameters on the EAHE’s performance. The model was coded on the MATLABⒸ platform. The developed mathematical model is robust, and it was validated at sites with and without urban constraints across three climatic zones. Model predictions were in good agreement with the measured values. The data and model predictions confirmed that in a semi-arid climatic zone if a constrained EAHE is placed strategically, its performance is not compromised, and it provides the desired cooling even when it is installed at a shallower depth.

Long‐Term Monitoring of Macroinvertebrate Communities Over 2,300 km of the Murray River Reveals Ecological Signs of Salinity Mitigation Against a Backdrop of Climate Variability

AbstractWe investigated the ecological effects of salinity mitigation strategies in the Murray‐Darling Basin (MDB) using macroinvertebrate data collected over 2,300 km of the Murray River between 1980 and 2012. The MDB covers 1 × 106km2 and includes both temperate and semiarid climate zones. It was extensively developed to support irrigated agriculture in the early to mid‐1900s, and the secondary salinization that followed has become a major concern. During 1975–1985 daily salinity levels, measured as electrical conductivity above the Murray River off‐take points for South Australia's major urban water supplies, were above 800 μS/cm for 40% of the time, necessitating mitigation strategies that have reduced the average salinity by about 150 μS/cm since monitoring began. The MDB has also experienced several major floods and droughts during this time, and surface temperatures in the MDB have increased by 0.8 °C since 1910, mostly in the last 50 years. We hypothesized that (1) taxa richness would increase in response to floods; (2) community structure would shift toward tolerant, opportunistic taxa in response to warming; and (3) geographical ranges of species would change in response to shifting stream isotherms and reducing salinity. Our hypotheses were supported, although increases in water temperature appeared to be due principally to the 1997–2009 Millennium drought. Importantly, against a backdrop of significant climate variability, we believe we have distinguished a change in community structure along a salinity gradient and that changes over the 33 years can in part be attributed to mitigation strategies.

Diversity and functional traits of spontaneous plant species in Algerian rangelands rehabilitated with prickly pear ( Opuntia ficus - indica L.) plantations

The prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica L. Miller) is a xerophytic cactus species widely cultivated in arid and semiarid regions worldwide and used in rehabilitation programs of rangelands in Algeria since 1990. This study analyzed the diversity and functional traits of plant species established in prickly pear plantations growing under arid and semiarid climates. A 3-year plant assessment (2008-2010) was carried out using ecological descriptors (abundance, species richness, diversity indices, disturbance index, and Jaccard index) and plant functional traits (life forms, chorological types, dispersal types, Grime's, Noy-Meir's strategies, and morphological types). The results revealed 36 and 31 species in arid and semiarid rangelands, respectively, with remarkable dominance of therophytic (43.2%) and hemicryptophytic plants (41.1%) growing in the semiarid climatic zone. The Shannon and diversity index showed low values (0.93-1.84 in surveyed rangelands) with a maximum of 2.74 in 2009. The disturbance index ranged between 51% and 55% and the dispersion scheme of diaspores was dominated by anemochorous plants. The chorological analysis indicated that the study plants were oriented towards a Mediterranean pattern in the broad sense. The predominant adaptive strategies of Grime were ruderal-stresstolerant (RS), competitive-stress-tolerant (CS) and competitive-ruderals (CR), which were attached to the two strategies of Noy-Meir (aridopassives and aridoactives).

Estimates of clear-sky solar irradiances over Nigeria

Abstract This study attempts to circumvent the problem of paucity of input data required in climatology mapping of clear-sky solar irradiance in Nigeria by computing beam normal (Ebn) and diffuse (Ed) irradiances using a high performance broadband radiative model in the country climate zones. Air temperature, relative humidity and global datasets of ozone thickness and angstrom turbidity were used as input parameters. The biases in the Ebn estimates with NASA datasets across Nigeria (11–25%) are of similar magnitudes with NASA observations with ground measurements. The estimates show persistent negative biases that increased from tropical savannah to semi-arid climate zones (−8 to −24%). The bias in the Ed estimates is only of similar magnitude with NASA in semi-arid climate zone (10%). The Ed estimates show persistent negative biases that increase from semi-arid to tropical savannah across Nigeria (−7 to −54%). Also, the estimates in each climate zone correspond to the expected climatology of water vapour, aerosol turbidity and absolute optical mass. Lastly, the response of Ebn to water vapour absorption and aerosol extinction signals is mostly active in monsoon zone while the response to the signals by Ed are active in all the zones.

Evaluating Hydrological Responses to Urbanization in a Tropical River Basin: A Water Resources Management Perspective

The present study investigates the hydrological response of increase in urbanization on water stressed Upper Bhima River basin which lies in a semi-arid climatic zone of Maharashtra state, India. Land Use Land Cover (LULC) changes due to urbanization, industrialization and anthropogenic activities have reconfigured the waterscape of the river basin, which has affected its regional hydrology. Influence of urbanization on key hydrological components is studied using Soil and Water Assessment Tool model. Firstly, Object Based Image Analysis approach was used to prepare time series LULC maps of the years 1992, 2002, 2009 and 2014. Overall classification accuracy of 92.48% and Kappa Coefficient (K) of 0.87 were achieved. Urbanization indicators, e.g. population urbanization level (Up) and spatial urbanization level (Us), were used to quantify the growth patterns in population and urban areas respectively. Mann–Kendall trend test was performed on the average annual rainfall data (year 1985–2014) to study rainfall trends across the region. Further, combination of statistical analyses including correlation analysis and multivariate analysis of variance were performed to comprehend the causative connection and interrelationships between Us and hydrological parameters. The results reveal that during 1992–2014, with increase in Us of 0.05, the average annual surface runoff increased to 10.4 mm [standard deviation (σ) = 4.40; sum of squares (SS) = 58.20], whereas percolation decreased to 14.5 mm [σ = 6.06; SS = 110.10], and base flow decreased to 11.7 mm (σ = 4.90; SS = 72.00). These hydrological parameters are highly influenced by increase in urbanization. This study is relevant for various stakeholders such as water sources planners and policy makers for assessment of water resources to ensure sustainable development in the urbanizing tropical river basins. Remedial measures are suggested to minimize the adverse effect of urbanization on hydrological processes.

Pedology of archaeological soils in tells of the Judean foothills, Israel

Tells (archaeological mounds) predominantly consist of poorly consolidated to unconsolidated sediments, and soils that are highly anthropogenic. This study examines pedogenic processes related to carbonate mobilization in tells in comparison with their peripheral soils (reference soil profiles). The key objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that tell deposits evolve through concurrent processes of sedimentation and pedogenesis (synlithogenic pedogenesis), and further explain it. Case studies are presented from three tells in semi-arid and Mediterranean climatic zones of the Levant. The methods applied included field survey, analyses of particle size distribution, pH, %CaCO3 and organic carbon content, and soil micromorphology. Soils of the tells contain miscellaneous cultural materials that derive mainly from degraded mud bricks, pottery and burnt wood. Chemical data show basic pH values, high CaCO3 content, and minor amounts of organic carbon. Field observations and lab analyses both indicate high similarity amongst the tells and their reference soil profiles. Buried tell soils show same characteristics as near-surface soils. However, the reference soil profiles show incipient horizonation, slightly darker colours, and more developed structure. Micromorphology of both the tells and the reference profiles show cohesively welded peds in a vughy microstructure, groundmass with an open porphyric c/f-related distribution, and discontinuous carbonate recrystallization. Relative rates of soil formation in the tells can be estimated when archaeological records are established. Contrary to the tells, the reference soil profiles show lower porosity and only minor remnants related to earth construction materials. We classify the soils of the studied tells as archaeological Calcareous Anthraltic Xerorthents. The correlative WRB classification would be Calcic Urbic Technosols (Archaic). The anthropogenic materials are as calcareous as the natural soils, but due to human action, carbonates in the tells are distributed differently. Based on these observations, ancient human actions and the dry climate have led to very little mobilization and accumulation of carbonates. The information provided in this study adds to the pedological understanding of archaeological environments. Specifically, it can be useful for the study of site formation processes of tells.

Spatial Distribution of Phlebotomine Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) as Phlebovirus Vectors in Different Areas of Iran.

Sand fly fever is caused by Naples (SFNV) and Sicilian viruses (SFSV) and the closely related Toscana virus of the Phlebovirus genus in the family Bunyaviridae, and transmitted by Phlebotomine sand flies. Phlebotomus papatasi Scopoli, 1786 is known as the main vector of the disease. This study aimed to investigate the distribution of Phlebotomine sand flies as vector of sand fly fever viruses, and the effects of some environmental variables on their potential dispersion to new areas in some provinces of Iran. Sand flies were collected during their active season in the region using CDC light traps. Ecological parameters were recorded for each collection site. Arc GIS 10.3 software was used for data analysis and mapping the distribution of sand flies. Sampling in the study areas was carried out in six different climatic zones. Seventeen sand fly species were collected including eight species of genus Phlebotomus and nine species of genus Sergentomyia. The Medium Semi-Arid climatic zone had the highest species diversity. Fourteen species of sand flies were collected at altitude between 2 and 325 m, and seven species were collected between 326 and 1380 m above sea level. There was significant correlation between sand fly density and all tested environmental variables. Phlebotominae sand flies have wide distribution in Iran and have a major public health concern in the country. P. papatasi and Sergentomyia sintoni Pringle, 1933 prefers hot summers and rainfall. This poses a threat of transmission of sand fly fever caused by SFSV and SFNV across the country.