scholarly journals Fingerprinting the Spatial Sources of Fine-grained Sediment Deposited in the Bed of the Mehran River Draining into the Northern Coast of the Persian Gulf using Elemental Geochemistry

Author(s):  
Atefe Fatahi ◽  
Hamid Gholami ◽  
Yahya Esmaeilpour ◽  
Aboalhasan Fathabadi

Abstract Accurate information on the sources of suspended sediment in riverine systems is essential to target mitigation. Accordingly, we applied a generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE) framework for quantifying contributions from three sub-basin spatial sediment sources in the Mehran River catchment draining into the Persian Gulf, Hormozgan province, southern Iran. A total of 28 sediment samples were collected from the three sub-basin sources and six from the overall outlet. 43 geochemical elements (e.g., major, trace and rare earth elements) were measured in the samples. Four different combinations of statistical tests comprising: 1) traditional range test (TRT), Kruskal-Wallis (KW) H-test and stepwise discriminant function analysis (DFA) (TRT+KW+DFA); 2) traditional range test using mean values (RTM) and two additional tests (RTM+KW+DFA); 3) TRT+KW+PCA (principle component analysis), and; 4) RTM+KW+PCA, were used to the spatial sediment source discrimination. Tracer bi-plots were used as an additional step to assess the tracers selected in the different final composite signatures for source discrimination. The predictions of spatial source contributions generated by GLUE were assessed using statistical tests and virtual sample mixtures. On this basis, TRT+KW+DFA and RTM+KW+DFA yielded the best source discrimination and the tracers in these composite signatures were shown by the biplots to be broadly conservative during transportation from source to sink. Using these final two composite signatures, the estimated mean contributions for the western, central and eastern sub-basins, respectively, ranged between 10-60% (overall mean contribution 36%), 0.3-16% (overall mean contribution 6%) and 38-77% (overall mean contribution 58%). In comparison, the final tracers selected using TRT+KW+PCA generated respective corresponding contributions of 1-42% (overall mean 20%), 0.5-30% (overall mean 12%) and 55-84% (overall mean 68%) compared with 17-69% (overall mean 41%), 0.2-12% (overall mean 5%) and 29-76% (overall mean 54%) using the final tracers selected by RTM+KW+PCA. Based on the mean absolute fit (MAF; ≥ 95% for all target sediment samples) and goodness-of-fit (GOF; ≥ 99% for all samples), GLUE with the final tracers selected using TRT+KW+PCA performed slightly better than GLUE with the final signatures selected by the three other combinations of statistical tests. Based on the virtual mixture tests, however, predictions provided by GLUE with the final tracers selected using TRT+KW+DFA and RTM+KW+DFA (mean MAE = 11% and mean RMSE = 13%) performed marginally better than GLUE with RTM+KW+PCA (mean MAE = 14% and mean RMSE =16%) and GLUE with TRT+KW+PCA (mean MAE = 17% and mean RMSE = 19%). The estimated source proportions can help watershed engineers plan the targeting of conservation programmes for soil and water resources.

Antiquity ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 90 (353) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abbas Moghaddam

The Zohreh Prehistoric Project (ZPP), a long-term archaeological research programme focused on the river valley south of the modern city of Behbahan in Khuzestan Province, was launched in April 2015 (Figure 1). The valley, which lies in close proximity to the northern coast of the Persian Gulf, was surveyed extensively during the early 1970s by Hans Nissen from the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (Nissen & Redman 1971; Dittmann 1984, 1986). The ZPP aims to develop full-coverage archaeological survey of the valley, focusing on the human landscape over time, mostly in relation to settlement hierarchy and dynamics, modes of production and the emergence of regional centres at the end of the fifth and beginning of the fourth millennia BC. The focal point for the project is the principal site of the Zohreh Valley, known as Tol-e Chega Sofla (39RN1Q22108; the site was previously registered as Chogha Sofla, BZ.71 (Dittmann 1984: 110). We have changed this to reflect its local name. The digital reference is the unique Iranian archaeology map registration number.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 285
Author(s):  
Naghmeh Afshar-Kaveh ◽  
Mostafa Nazarali ◽  
Charitha Pattiaratchi

Sea-level data from six tide gauge stations along the northern coast of the Persian Gulf were analyzed both in time and frequency domain to evaluate meteorological forcing. Spectral analyses indicated that mixed, predominantly semi-diurnal tides were dominant at all stations, but low-frequency fluctuations correlated well with atmospheric pressure and wind components. Non-tidal sea-level fluctuations up to 0.75 m were observed along the northern coasts of the Gulf due to the combined action of lower atmospheric pressure and cross-shore wind. Coherency between low-frequency sea-level records and mean sea-level pressure indicated that the latter usually leads to sea-level fluctuations between 1 and 6.4 days. In contrast, the same analysis on the wind velocity and sea level revealed that the former lags between 3 and 13 days. The effect of wind stress on coastal sea-level variations was higher compared with the effect of atmospheric pressure. Concurrent analysis of low-pass-filtered sea-level records proved that the non-tidal wave moves from west to east along the northern coasts of the Persian Gulf.


Author(s):  
Hanieh Saeedi ◽  
Aria A. Ardalan ◽  
Ehsan Kamrani ◽  
Bahram H. Kiabi

Amiantis umbonella is distributed throughout the coast of the northern Persian Gulf. This study of 893 clams provides data on reproduction, growth and production for the period April 2007 to March 2008 from two transects along the Bandar Abbas coast. Histological preparations showed six stages of gametogenic development: resting stage (Stage 0), early active (Stage I), late active (Stage II), ripe (Stage III), partially spawned (Stage IV) and spent (Stage V). The specimens were gonochoric and showed synchronized spawning. The reproductive cycle commenced in September and finished in March with one major spawning event in January which correlated with lower sea temperature. Von Bertalanffy growth parameters for the sample were asymptotic length (L∞) = 58–62 mm, growth constant (k) = 0.28–0.29 yr−1 and length zero (t0) = –0.48 –0.47. The mean annual clam abundance, mean biomass and production were 10 individuals. m−2, 5.7 g shell free dry weight (SFDW) m−2 and 0.495 g SFDW m−2 yr−1, respectively.


2014 ◽  
pp. E1-E1
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Valizadeh-kakhki ◽  
Mohamad Pauzi Zakaria ◽  
Ahmad Zaharin Aris ◽  
Mehdi Mohammadi ◽  
Hassan Tajik

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