Monitoring and Investigation of Wind Erosion Warning Areas in the Northwest of Golestan Province

Wind erosion, dust storms and its management have always been one of the important topics of arid and semi-arid regions and are considered a serious challenge to the goals of sustainable development. In Golestan province, due to the presence of vast desert plains in its northern areas in the form of arable and barren lands, weak pastures and old dried wetland ecosystems and adjacent to theKarakum desert, the phenomenon of wind erosion has become more frequent in recent years. Therefore,, the present research was conducted with the aim of monitoring and investigating the warning ranges of wind erosion in the northwest of Golestan province using the WEHI model. Also, the Markov chain model was used to investigate the changes in the erosion class in the period of 2002-2021. After calculating the intensity of wind erosion, considering the threshold limit for this model, the area under warning during the statistical period was examined. The results of the modeling showed that the intensity of wind erosion in the work units of Atrak alluvial sediments, salt marsh lands, longitudinal sand dunes, Barkhan , barren lands and the margin of the wetland is in severe class. Also, the results of wind erosion monitoring showed that the class of high wind erosion has increased from 59940.88 hectares to 71698.3 hectares, which indicates an increase of 11757.43 hectares in the studied statistical period. Also, the examination of spatial changes of wind erosion class also showed that most of the changes have occurred in the central areas of the study region, and the intensity of wind erosion in most of the areas around the Sangaratpe p;aya and the central areas has changed to the high wind erosion class and the western and eastern areas to the low wind erosion class. . Finally, the monitoring of the areas under warning shows an increase of 41 thousand hectares of these areas in the western, northwestern and central regions of the region in the last 20 years. Based on the results of this research and considering the intensification of the frequency of dust in recent years and its irreparable consequences, the implementation of a comprehensive plan to deal with the phenomenon of dust in Golestan province is necessary and urgent.

Wind erosion, dust storms and its management have always been one of the important topics of arid and semi-arid regions and are considered a serious challenge to the goals of sustainable development. In Golestan province, due to the presence of vast desert plains in its northern areas in the form of arable and barren lands, weak pastures and old dried wetland ecosystems and adjacent to theKarakum desert, the phenomenon of wind erosion has become more frequent in recent years. Therefore,, the present research was conducted with the aim of monitoring and investigating the warning ranges of wind erosion in the northwest of Golestan province using the WEHI model. Also, the Markov chain model was used to investigate the changes in the erosion class in the period of 2002-2021. After calculating the intensity of wind erosion, considering the threshold limit for this model, the area under warning during the statistical period was examined. The results of the modeling showed that the intensity of wind erosion in the work units of Atrak alluvial sediments, salt marsh lands, longitudinal sand dunes, Barkhan , barren lands and the margin of the wetland is in severe class. Also, the results of wind erosion monitoring showed that the class of high wind erosion has increased from 59940.88 hectares to 71698.3 hectares, which indicates an increase of 11757.43 hectares in the studied statistical period. Also, the examination of spatial changes of wind erosion class also showed that most of the changes have occurred in the central areas of the study region, and the intensity of wind erosion in most of the areas around the Sangaratpe p;aya and the central areas has changed to the high wind erosion class and the western and eastern areas to the low wind erosion class. . Finally, the monitoring of the areas under warning shows an increase of 41 thousand hectares of these areas in the western, northwestern and central regions of the region in the last 20 years. Based on the results of this research and considering the intensification of the frequency of dust in recent years and its irreparable consequences, the implementation of a comprehensive plan to deal with the phenomenon of dust in Golestan province is necessary and urgent.

Wind erosion, dust storms and its management have always been one of the important topics of arid and semi-arid regions and are considered a serious challenge to the goals of sustainable development. In Golestan province, due to the presence of vast desert plains in its northern areas in the form of arable and barren lands, weak pastures and old dried wetland ecosystems and adjacent to theKarakum desert, the phenomenon of wind erosion has become more frequent in recent years. Therefore,, the present research was conducted with the aim of monitoring and investigating the warning ranges of wind erosion in the northwest of Golestan province using the WEHI model. Also, the Markov chain model was used to investigate the changes in the erosion class in the period of 2002-2021. After calculating the intensity of wind erosion, considering the threshold limit for this model, the area under warning during the statistical period was examined. The results of the modeling showed that the intensity of wind erosion in the work units of Atrak alluvial sediments, salt marsh lands, longitudinal sand dunes,