Investigating the Effect of Geomorphological Capabilities and Limitations on Passive Defense of Arvand River Shores in Abadan District

Experiences from previous wars have shown that the science of geomorphology plays an important role in the implementation of offensive and defensive plans, the selection of settlement areas, the dispersion and the ready points. Therefore, geomorphological factors play an important role in adopting effective measures for passive defense. This study aims to investigate the geomorphological features of the coasts of Abadan district from the perspective of passive defense to identify the geomorphological strengths and weaknesses of the region. Preparing the SWOT method for application in the passive defense studies requires refining the basic concepts, as the basic concepts in passive defense studies are different from other fields of study. In passive defense studies, threats and opportunities of the external environment should be considered separately and differentiated from their internal counterparts. For example, a weakness can be considered an opportunity from another point of view, or a phenomenon that is considered strength from another point of view may be a weakness. The results show that vegetation as a whole has a positive effect on passive defense in the region. According to the geomorphological map of the region, the Arvand River is a flood plain and a part of it is a tidal wetland (Shalaheh and Khosrowabad villages). This tidal section is used to irrigate the palm-groves. The whole area is flat and there is a view of the facilities and personnel for the military, in both the Iranian and Iraqi sides. Some elevated features are created artificially in some areas but there are no naturally elevated geomorphological forms. The valleys and plains are less exposed to floods.