Analysis of the effects of human activities and wind characteristics on the morphological and dynamic state of ergs (Case Study: ergs of Sistan and Baluchestan Province)

Maghsoudi, Mehran; Ganjaeian, Hamid

doi:10.22111/jneh.2025.51181.2104

Analysis of the effects of human activities and wind characteristics on the morphological and dynamic state of ergs (Case Study: ergs of Sistan and Baluchestan Province)

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Mehran Maghsoudi ¹
Hamid Ganjaeian ²

¹ Professor of Geomorphology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

² PhD. Student of geomorphology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

10.22111/jneh.2025.51181.2104

Abstract

Ergs are a collection of dunes of various shapes and sizes. One of the characteristics of dunes is their active dynamics, which are considered a serious threat to residential areas and human activities. Dunes in Sistan and Baluchestan provinces have high morphological diversity and are dynamically active, which is why this study examined their morphological and dynamic status. This research was based on remote sensing methods and statistical information. In this study, satellite images and statistical information related to the speed and direction of the winds in the region were used as the most important research data. ArcGIS and WRplot software were the most important research tools. In this study, the morphological and dynamic status of dunes was first examined, and then their relationship with the speed and direction of the winds of the region and human activities was analyzed. The results of this study have shown that of the total 1068 square kilometers of the Sistan Dune, about 60 percent of it is covered by simple crescent dunes, and given that the average movement of the dunes of this dune has been between 2 and 90 m (during the years 2005 to 2020), it is therefore dynamically active. In addition, the results of the analysis of the winds of the region have shown that the northern areas of the Sistan Dune have the highest average wind speed, but because the dunes have been fixed by human activities, they have had the least amount of movement, but the dunes of the southern areas have had more movement due to less vegetation cover and the absence of geomorphological barriers.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Environmental Hazards

References

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