Comparison of Estimative and Laboratory Methods for Measuring the Wind-Erodible Fraction of Soil and Its Spatial Modeling in the Hamoun Wetland

Rigi Khales, Marzieh; Shahriari, Ali; Shirmohammadi, Ebrahim; Rahdari, Vahid; Miri, Abbas

doi:10.22111/jneh.2026.55046.2165

Comparison of Estimative and Laboratory Methods for Measuring the Wind-Erodible Fraction of Soil and Its Spatial Modeling in the Hamoun Wetland

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

¹ MSc. Department of Soil Science and Engineering, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran

² Associate Professor, Department of Soil Science and Engineering, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran

³ Assistant Professor, Department of Soil Science and Engineering, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran

⁴ Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran

⁵ Associate Professor, Department of Rangeland and Watershed Management, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran

10.22111/jneh.2026.55046.2165

Abstract

Wind erosion is a major environmental hazard in arid regions. Studying the wind-erodible fraction (WEF) of soil and its spatial modeling is essential for sustainable land management. Due to its exposure to the 120-day winds and the impacts of both climatic and anthropogenic droughts, the Sistan region exhibits highly susceptible conditions for wind erosion. The dried bed of the Hamoun Wetland has become one of the primary sources of dust storms in eastern Iran. This research aimed to evaluate common methods for measuring WEF and to spatially model it using geostatistical techniques in the International Hamoun Wetland. A total of 199 sampling points were selected from the bed of Hamoun Wetland using a stratified random sampling method, and soil samples were collected from the surface layer at these points. Subsequently, the soil properties required for estimating the wind-erodible fraction using estimative methods were measured. Laboratory-measured WEF and estimated values based on Fryrear (WEFF), Usman (WEFU), López (WEFL), Rakkar (WEFR), Dufková (WEFD), Bouajila (WEFB), and Motemani (WEFM) formulas were computed. Spatial modeling was performed using IDW, Kriging, and co-kriging. Results showed a mean WEF of 36.57%, indicating lower erodibility. A significant negative correlation between laboratory WEF and computational estimates revealed the limited performance of existing equations in this region, likely due to high soil variability and dependence on local factors. These equations, developed from limited datasets, fail to represent the wide spectrum of soil types. Thus, the spherical model was identified as the best variogram for WEF, with moderate spatial fitness. Cokriging using SAR as an auxiliary variable outperformed (RMSE=15.719 and ME=-0.014) Kriging and IDW. From a zoning perspective, northeastern (Hamoun-e Puzak) and western (some parts of the Hamoun-e Sabouri and the Hamoun-e Hirmand) parts of the wetland showed the highest erosion susceptibility. These findings underscore the necessity of developing region-specific equations and should inform management strategies to reduce erosion and dust storms.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Environmental Hazards

References

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