Volume 30, Issue 3 (2026)
J Water Soil Sci. 2026, 30(3): 133-142 |
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Masoodian ُ A. Estimation of Rainfall Erosivity in Iran. J Water Soil Sci. 2026; 30 (3) :133-142
URL: http://jstnar.iut.ac.ir/article-1-4568-en.html
URL: http://jstnar.iut.ac.ir/article-1-4568-en.html
Department of Climatology, Faculty of Geography and Planning, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran. , s.a.masoodian@geo.ui.ac.ir
Abstract: (18 Views)
Rainfall erosivity is a key factor in soil erosion models. Although Iran’s climate is predominantly hot and dry, the occurrence of intense and heavy rainfall events, although infrequent, can cause significant damage to soil resources. In the Universal Soil Loss Equation, rainfall erosivity is calculated based on rainfall intensity. In this study, 45 years of hourly rainfall data from the ERA5 reanalysis dataset were used to estimate rainfall erosivity across Iran. The results revealed that the spatial distribution of rainfall events in Iran is highly heterogeneous. Central Iran, with fewer than 20 rainfall events per year, and the Caspian Sea coast, with nearly 450 events per year, represent two contrasting rainfall regimes. Both the Caspian coast and the Zagros highlands receive slightly less than 10 mm of rainfall per event, while the mean duration of rainfall events in these regions is approximately 10 hours. On the Caspian coast, moisture originating from the Caspian Sea, and over the Zagros Mountains, moisture originating from the Arabian Sea, contribute to the observed rainfall duration and amount per event. Rainfall event intensity in the western Zagros and along the entire southern coast of Iran is considerably higher than in other parts of the country. The transport of moisture from the Arabian Sea into Iran contributes to the high intensity of rainfall events in these regions. Rainfall erosivity is very low across most parts of Iran; however, the Zagros Mountains, the Caspian coast, and some mountainous areas exhibit relatively high levels of erosivity. The mean annual rainfall erosivity over Iran is approximately 80
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