Assessing the state of desertification in the Shahrbabak plain watershed using Medalus model and remote sensing data

Subject Areas : BIABANZODAEI

mohammad ebrahim afifi ¹ , vahid sohrabi ²

1 - Member of the Faculty of Geography Department of Islamic Azad University, Larestan Branc
2 - Geography and Urban Planning, Faculty of Humanities, Larestan Branch Azad University, Iran

Received: 2023-01-08 Accepted : 2023-05-08 Published : 2023-06-21

Keywords: Desertification, remote sensing, Shahrbabak, Medalos,

Abstract :

Research problem: Land destruction is a global process that ultimately leads to a decrease in soil fertility, and if we consider its concept as a kind of instability and imbalance in the relationship between humans and the environment, it should be accepted that a large part of the world and the country of Iran are dealing with this problem. The environment is facing. Dealing with the phenomenon of land destruction and desertification requires evaluating and monitoring the type and severity of land destruction, determining the causes of the destruction and taking the necessary measures to face the problem, as well as checking the accuracy of the said projects. The aim of desertification evaluation is Babak Shahr Plain. Remote sensing technology plays a very valuable role in the evaluation and monitoring of land degradation and desertification at local, regional and global scales and has led to the creation of a new approach in studies related to the evaluation and monitoring of desertification. Considering the importance of the destruction issue, in this study, an attempt was made to evaluate the desertification of the Shahrbabak watershed using remote sensing data and Medalus model. In the first step, based on the situation of the region, six parameters of climate, soil, vegetation, underground water and management and policy were considered to evaluate the level of destruction. The indicators were quantified based on their effect on the destruction process and each of them was given a score between 0.5 and 1.5 according to the fuzzy method and were studied in pixel scale. The obtained results indicate that 4% of the area is in the mild category, 10% of the area is in the moderate category, and 86% of the area is in the severe category of desertification. In terms of the area's sensitivity to destruction, 4% of the total area of the area is in the potential class, 22% in the fragile class A, 50% in the fragile class B, 20% in the fragile class C and 3% in the critical class; Therefore, about 92% of the area of the region is in the fragile layer.

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