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Evaluation of sediment yield in PSIAC and MPSIAC models by using GIS at Toroq Watershed, Northeast of Iran

Frontiers of Earth Science volume 6, pages 83–94 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

Regarding the importance of watersheds in arid and semi-arid regions, it is necessary to better protect water supplies such as dam reservoirs. The most efficient way of conserving water sources is to apply proper management to decrease erosion and sedimentation. The first step of this process is to be aware of sediment yield (Q s)/production and identify erosive zones in upper reach of reservoirs. The present study aims to evaluate Q s and production in Pacific Southwest Inter-Agency Committee (PSIAC) and modified PSIAC (MPSIAC) models by using satellite data, GIS analysis, and field observations. According to the results, the study area can be categorized into five erosive classes: very high, high, moderate, low and negligible. The east part of the watershed is slightly eroded due to its hard surface geology and relatively flat topography characteristics, while the northern and southern parts of the basin are highly eroded because of the high erodibility potential of soil and intensive cultivation of the area. A comparison of the output maps from PSIAC and MPSIAC models showed that the calculated Q s in most parts correspond well in both models and with field observations. The results of regression between main determining factors (surface geology, soil, topography and land cover) and Q s derived from each model indicated moderate to strong correlation coefficient (R 2 = 0.436−0.996 to 0.893–0.998) after PSIAC and MPSIAC models, respectively.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran

    Mohammad Reza Mansouri Daneshvar

  2. Department of Agriculture, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran

    Ali Bagherzadeh

Authors
  1. Mohammad Reza Mansouri Daneshvar
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  2. Ali Bagherzadeh
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Correspondence to Ali Bagherzadeh.

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Mohammad Reza Mansouri Daneshvar obtained his B.S. and M.S. degree in Urban Planning and Geomorphology-Environmental Planning, respectively at Department of Urbanism and Department of Geography, respectively at Islamic Azad University, Mashhad Branch, Iran. He now is a Ph.D. candidate in Climatology-Environmental Planning at Department of Geography at University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran. His scientific experiences are including Urban and Regional Planning, Eco-tourism and Geo-tourism Planning, Land-use Evaluation and Geographical Information System, which are applied in many consultant engineering projects and plans. Likewise, his interested research subjects are including Environment and Geo-sciences, Climatic Changes, Geomorphologic Phenomena and Natural Hazards Assessment. He has a scientific weblog: www.mrmd.blogfa.com (in Persian).

Ali Bagherzadeh obtained his B.S. degree in Agricultural Engineering-Soil Science at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ahwaz, Iran. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Agricultural Engineering-Plant Production and Forest Sciences-Ecological Soil Science at Department of Agriculture and Department of Soil Science and Forest Nutrition, respectively at Georg-August University of Göttingen, Germany. Furthermore, he passed the course of Sugar Technology at Technical University of Berlin, Germany. Now Dr. Ali Bagherzadeh is an Assistant professor and Head master of Department of Agriculture, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad Branch, Iran. His scientific experiences are including Ecological Soil Sciences, Land Suitability Evaluation and Land Use Planning as well as Geographical Information System. Likewise, his interested research subjects are including Natural Resources Assessment and Land Conservation.

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Daneshvar, M.R.M., Bagherzadeh, A. Evaluation of sediment yield in PSIAC and MPSIAC models by using GIS at Toroq Watershed, Northeast of Iran. Front. Earth Sci. 6, 83–94 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-011-0189-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-011-0189-7

Keywords

  • evaluation of sediment yield (Q s)
  • erodible factors
  • Pacific Southwest Inter-Agency Committee (PSIAC) and modified PSIAC (MPSIAC) models
  • sediment production
  • GIS
  • Toroq Watershed
  • Northeast of Iran