Mitigating environmental risks: Modeling the interaction of water quality parameters and land use cover

• Published in: Land use policy 2020-06, Vol.95, p.103766, Article 103766
• Main Authors: Mirzaei, Mohsen, Jafari, Ali, Gholamalifard, Mehdi, Azadi, Hossein, Shooshtari, Sharif Joorabian, Moghaddam, Saghi Movahhed, Gebrehiwot, Kindeya, Witlox, Frank
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Caspian Sea; Environmental risk mitigation; Landscape metrics; Nonpoint source pollution; River water quality; Sustainable watershed management
• ISSN: 0264-8377; 1873-5754
• DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.12.014

•The study aimed to investigate rivers water quality (RWQ) and landscape metrics (LMs).•Remote sensing and GIS techniques were used to generate land use/land cover maps.•Results showed a complex nonlinear relationship between the LMs and WQPs.•Results help identify pollution sources and effective solutions in the study area.•The results can be used in the environmental impact/risk assessment. Understanding the relationship between rivers water quality (RWQ) and landscape metrics (LMs) is valuable for developing sustainable watershed management practices and pollution/environmental risk mitigation. To do so, the current study aimed to explore the relationship between RWQ and LMs by assessing 74 sub-basins within 2 million ha in Northern Iran. Principal component analyses were used to identify principal water quality parameters. Considering the effect of composition and configuration of the Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) on pollution loads, statistical models revealed that by increasing the mean of the Fractal Dimension Index of agricultural lands, the nitrate loads will increase. The results of this study can be especially used in the environmental impact/risk assessment of new industrial and residential applications. Also, the findings of the current study could provide a perfect source for calculations and choosing the best policy making decisions.