نشریه محیط زیست طبیعی
سال هفتاد و ششم شماره 3 (پاییز 1402)

The phenomenon wherein precipitation increases as altitude ascends is referred to as the precipitation gradient, that significant importance in the field of hydrological forecasting in mountain basins and management of water resources. The present study aims to investigate the changes in the topography of the earth on the formation and movement pattern of precipitation, the average rainfall of the IMERG V06 satellite and the dem of the 0.1 degree elevation of the precipitation gradient for eight main directions or coding in the Python environment of the Alborz Mountains were extracted. Then, in order to determine the movement pattern of precipitation, longitudinal and latitude profiles were used. The study findings indicate that in the northeast region of Golestan province (positive gradient), there exists a positive gradient of precipitation, which amounts to 0. 44 mm.m elevation. Furthermore, it is worth noting that in the southeastern region of Semnan, there exists a negative gradient of 1. 91 mm.m reduction in precipitation of elevation gain. Additionally, it was found that the precipitation gradient was significantly influenced by both the north and south directions, accounting for 16. 8% and 25.4% of the effect, respectively, at a significance level of 0. 01. On the northern slopes, a negative correlation has been observed between the amount of precipitation and latitude, wherein higher latitudes are associated with lower precipitation levels. Conversely, a positive correlation has been noted between the amount of precipitation and latitude in other regions, where higher latitudes correspond to increased levels of precipitation. The intricate nature of precipitation in mountainous regions presents a challenge in establishing a comprehensive pattern due to the multifaceted influence of anthropogenic, climactic, and terrestrial variables, nevertheless, comprehending precipitation patterns in the context of decision-making can benefit water resource management.

Nickel is a heavy metal, which due to its wide use in industries, found all around our habitat. Nickel-induced chromosomal abnormalities are related to its ability in producing reactive oxygen species (ROS). Use of herbal ingredients in preventing chromosomal abnormalities induced by such elements has been become widely common. Green tea with its polyphenols especially Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) which could be used as a common drink is a suitable choice for protecting against heavy metals including Nickel. In this study, effect of three doses of 10, 20 and 30 mM of EGCG on chromosomal abnormalities induced by 0.2, 0.5 and 0.7 mM of Nickel in HFF cell line was investigated using micronucleus assay on Binucleated cells. In different doses, Nickel was able to increase the frequency of Micronucleated Binucleates (MnBi) significantly, which represents chromosomal abnormalities, in comparison to control. While, in all doses mentioned earlier, EGCG was able to dose dependently decrease the frequency of this cells. The results showed that EGCG is able to reduce clastogenic effect of Nickel in vitro. This ability increases in higher doses. Considering the antioxidant ability of EGCG, it could be concluded that Nickel induces most of its chromosomal abnormalities by increasing ROS.

In recent years, the groundwater resources of Arak plain have been under severe stress, so in some areas, due to the drying up of wells, they have increased the depth of wells to access water. In some areas, the groundwater depth (GWD) is high, which will lead to the salinization of those lands in the future. Regional modeling was used to organize and measure the response of the groundwater resources of Arak plain against the implementation of different management and implementation scenarios. This study aims to investigate the effective factors in the GWD to provide a regional model with multiple linear regression (MLR) method for Arak plain aquifer. For this purpose, the average GWD in the Arak plain, as a dependent variable, and the transmissivity of the aquifer formations, groundwater exploitation values, altitude, average precipitation of the region, the amount of evaporation, and the distance from water resources  are considered independent variables and regression analysis is done in SPSS software media. It was done to present a linear model. In the next stage, the presented model was evaluated by applying it to places where its statistics and information were not used to present the model, and finally, by applying this model in the GIS environment, the GWD map for the region was created. The study was prepared. Also, an artificial neural network (ANN) was used to simulate the depth of underground water. The performance of the ANN was measured through parameters such as root mean square error (RMSE) and correlation coefficient between real and desired outputs (R). The results of both methods indicate that factors such as the transmissivity of aquifer formations, GWD drawdown, topography (the height of the well site on the level of the watershed), the groundwater exploitation values ​​at the maximum operating radius of the well, and the distance from water resources are the main factors of GWD drawdown. But the effectiveness of ANN in estimating GWD drawdown is higher than the MLR method.

Considering the importance of the forests of North Zagros in terms of conservation, economic-social and regeneration, this research aims to identify the composition and diversity of herbaceous species in different oak types located in Armardeh forests in Baneh city and the relationship between the herbaceous cover with edaphic conditions. Forest types were identified with field inspection. In each type, 5 samples of 500 square meters were randomly collected to collect trees and 5 soil samples were taken from each types to a depth of 10 cm. Also, a small sample of one square meter was randomly used for herbaceous species. The biological form of the species was obtained using the Raunkiaer method, the chorotypes according to were obtained to Zohary method, and the biological diversity was obtained using plant diversity indices, then the relationship and ordination of the vegetation with edaphic variables were investigated with detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). The results showed that Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Poaceae families have the highest number of plant species respectively. Trophies and hemicryptophytes had the highest percentages, respectively, and the most important chorotypes of the region were the vegetative elements of (Iranian-Turan). The results of variance analysis, Pearson's correlation and vegetation ordination showed that the separation of vegetation types, species distribution in North Zagros was mainly influenced by soil texture, sodium, organic matter, potassium and phosphorus. According to the findings of this research, it can be acknowledged that due to the widespread of Zagros forests, attention to forest types and soil can represent the changes in the vegetation cover and be considered in the management of these forests.

The overlapping of the vital needs of wildlife and humans on the one hand and the increasing human population have led to the intensification of conflicts between local communities and wildlife. Because brown bear has an omnivorous diet and large body size, they often require expansive habitats. These food requirements and wide-ranging behavior often bring them into conflict with humans and livestock. In order to identify the factors affecting the intensity of the brown bear's conflict with local communities, a questionnaire was prepared and interviews were conducted with 332 local communities in and around the brown bear's habitat in Kohgilouye va Boyer-Ahmad province. Using logical regression, social predictive factors on the level of acceptance of the brown bear's right to life were investigated. Also, using the social network analysis approach, the most important reasons for bear attacks on humans and human assets and the most important solutions for conflict management from the perspective of local communities were investigated. Results show that age, gender, education, the level of fear, the amount of people's property, the dangerousness of the bear, and the level of acceptance of the bear among the local communities have a great impact on the intensity of conflicts. On the other hand, social network analysis shows that from the point of view of local communities, the most important reason for brown bear attacks on humans is the annual drought and the sudden encounters between themes. The most important solution to reduce the risk of bear attacks on humans and human resources is to use deterrents and fencing around human resources. Finally, increasing the level of awareness of local communities in the region and securing fences around human resources and damage compensation schemes can help mitigate conflicts and, in some cases, improve the acceptance of bears.

Soil contamination with toxic elements is a major environmental concern. The establishment of steel and pellet factories in the outskirts of Ardakan city has increased the possibility of various pollutants, especially toxic elements, in this area. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the level of contamination with toxic elements in the surface soils around the industrial areas of Ardakan using enrichment factors (EF), ecological risk potential (PERI) and health risk through the three routes of ingestion, inhalation and skin absorption. In this research, 12 topsoil samples were collected from 12 stations by systematic random method. The concentration of toxic elements Pb, As, Ni and Cd in the samples were measured using ICP-OES device. The average concentration of elements was found to be: Ni (46.75), Pb (36.16), As (9.25) and Cd (0.34) µg/g. The average enrichment factor (EF) for elements was Pb>Ni>Cd>As. Based on the potential ecological risk index (PERI), stations 9 and 11 showed moderate pollution and other stations showed low pollution. The results of health risk assessment based on the hazard quotient (HQ) were lower than one for all elements from three ways of ingestion, inhalation and skin absorption, which cannot indicate the possibility of non-carcinogenic risk potential. The risk of carcinogenesis for adults through ingestion, inhalation and skin absorption in all sampling stations for Pb was negligible; but for Ni and As from ingestion and skin absorption, and for Cd from ingestion, there was a risk of carcinogenesis.

Despite the many years of implementation of the shore power solution in advanced ports of the world, the benefits of this strategy in developing countries such as Iran have not been studied yet. This research seeks to answer the question that if shore power is used in Shahid Bahonar port, what environmental benefits will be given to the beneficiaries of this port (port employees, operating companies inside the port, people who live in the vicinity of the port) . This research has been used as a developmental goal and a descriptive-survey method. The research questionnaire consisted of 5 environmental questions and 8 questions in the stakeholders' section, which were answered by 83 experts of port and maritime affairs of Shahid Bahonar Port Complex. Binomial test and Spearman's correlation were used in the data analysis section. The findings of the research showed that the use of coastal electricity for ships in Shahid Rajaei port has environmental benefits such as reducing greenhouse gas production, making life more pleasant on the coast and off the coast, reducing noise and odor pollution, developing green ports and reducing disease. respiratory, cardiovascular and cancer; And in the research stakeholders' section, benefits such as port income generation, saving maintenance and generator life, preventing inefficient electricity production through the ship's diesel generator, saving on the ship's energy bill, reducing costs by eliminating the cost of setting up the generator, Reducing the working hours of the ship's generator will bring job creation in the port and reduce electricity production costs. The result of the research proved the significant relationship between the use of coastal electricity and the reduction of air pollution by ships and the increase in the satisfaction of the stakeholders' of Shahid Bahonar Port.

Today, with the emergence of important environmental issues in the field of global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions, the issue of sustainable use of natural resources and reducing the negative effects of economic growth and development has become more important. In recent decades, the role of financial development in achieving higher economic development has been highlighted. Therefore, in the present study, while examining the effects of financial development, economic growth, energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions on each other, it is tried to answer the question whether there is a relationship between economic growth and financial development index. Achieved financial development and environmental degradation? For this purpose, using the data of 1996 to 2017 selected countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and using the method of estimating generalized moments and Kuznets environmental curve, the research question has been investigated. According to Kuznets's model, the results show that there is a correlation between economic growth index and environmental degradation. Therefore, the Kuznets curve theory is true in the studied countries, considering the role of financial development in achieving higher economic growth. Finally, the results show that in the studied countries, a one percent increase in the financial development index leads to a 0.82 percent increase in energy consumption and a decrease in carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, a one percent increase in carbon dioxide emissions led to a 0.70 percent increase in energy consumption and, conversely, a one percent increase in energy consumption in the study countries led to a 0.89 percent increase in carbon dioxide emissions. It is noteworthy that in addition to the two-way relationship between financial development index and economic growth, the U-shaped relationship between GDP per capita and financial development has also been confirmed in the study countries. The overall result of the present study also indicates the positive impact of financial development, economic growth, energy consumption and carbon emissions on each other except for financial development which reduces carbon dioxide emissions.

In today's highly competitive market, entrepreneurial capabilities and cleaner production have become widely used concepts to enhance competitive advantage and increase green performance. Therefore, the current research was conducted with the aim of investigating the impact of entrepreneurial capabilities on clean production and sustainable competitive advantage, with the moderating role of social marketing orientation in Iran Khodro Industrial Group. This research is an applied research in terms of purpose and descriptive survey in terms of structural equations. The statistical population is the employees and managers of Iran Khodro Industrial Group, 150 of whom were selected as the sample by available sampling method. In order to perform data analysis, LISREL software was used. The results showed that in Iran Khodro Industrial Group, entrepreneurship has a positive and significant effect on clean production and sustainable competitive advantage. Clean production also has a positive and significant effect on sustainable competitive advantage. Other findings indicate that social marketing orientation positively moderates the relationship between entrepreneurial capability and clean production and sustainable competitive advantage. Due to the gap of studies in the field of investigating the relationship between these variables in a single study, conducting the present study can provide useful information for managers to create competitive strategies and increase their market share.

The cement industry despite its positive economic and social effects, is facing important challenges regarding the reduction of raw materials and energy demands, and CO2 emissions. It should be noted the production of materials without considering the elements of the environment, is not consistent with the attitude of sustainable development. Although many advances have been reached in the last decades through technology improvements, the use of alternative materials and fuels still can be further explored. The Zabol cement industry is considered economically efficient. Nevertheless, there are no scientific studies regarding environmental concerns in. The life cycle assessment (LCA) is a comprehensive tool for collecting and analyzing the potential environmental inpute, and consequence of producing a product or commodity. This study aims to assess the environmental impacts of gray cement production in Sistan cement factory using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The analysis and evaluation of environmental impact of cement was done using SimapRo software (version 9) and Ecoinvent database (version 3.4) based on ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards. The 18 midpoint and 3 endpoint impact categories have been determined by using ReCiPe midpoint H and ReCiPe endpoint H respectively. Emissions, heavy fuel oil, pozzolan and electricity have the highest contribution to most of the surveyed impact categories. The sensitivity analysis also indicated the influence of the mentioned cases on the results.  Thus, with a 20% reduction in pozzolan, heavy fuel oil and electricity consumption could reduce the destruction of fossil resource scarcity, global warming and human and ecosystem toxicity. The total endpoint score was 27 Pt, mainly associated to the human health damage category. The most important factor affecting the mentioned result was related to the formation of suspended particles less than 2.5 micrometers. The cumulative energy demand assessment indicated fossil fuels had the highest consumption with 97.89% and other sources has the least energy participation. The results illustrated replacement of fossil fuels by alternative fuels can be an option to decrease impacts regarding fossil fuels consumption and atmospheric emissions from the cement production process.

Today, the environment is one of the concerns of human societies. Green products are closely related to the environment and consumers. Therefore, paying attention to the factors that affect the decision process of purchasing organic products is of particular importance. In this regard, this research examines the effect of empathy and pessimism on green purchase intention with the mediating role of consumer ethical beliefs, taking environmental considerations into account. The current research falls under the category of co-relational research in terms of its practical purpose and descriptive survey data collection method. Also, this research was conducted in the field. The statistical population of the research consists of consumers of green products in the city of Urmia. According to Morgan's table, the sample size of 400 consumers in Urmia City was selected by a simple random sampling method. The data collection tool is a standard questionnaire based on the Likert scale. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used for the reliability of the questionnaire. Data analysis was done using the structural equation method and with the help of SPSS26, Smart PLS3 software. The results showed that empathy has a positive and significant effect on purchase beliefs and purchase intention. Also, purchase beliefs have a positive and significant effect on purchase intention. The effect of pessimism on moral beliefs and purchase intention is negative and significant. The mediating role of ethical beliefs in the relationship between empathy and pessimism with purchase intention was also confirmed.

According to the Global Risks Report, climate change was the fifth global risk in 2018 in terms of probability of occurrence. According to the same report, this phenomenon ranked second among other risks in terms of its effects on the world and the environment. It emphasizes the importance of investigating the effects of climate change. In this research, the economic analysis of the effects of climate change on the income of wheat farmers in the country during (2052-2022) has been done. DSSAT simulation program has been used to simulate the yield of irrigated wheat and economic analysis under climate change scenarios. The meteorological data required under different scenarios are taken from MarkSim software. The results show that the income of irrigated wheat farmers will decrease under climate change scenarios. Also, in some regions of Iran, irrigated wheat planting is dominant in conditions without climate change and under climate change scenarios, and it seems that these areas can be considered as favorable areas for creating irrigated wheat cultivation ports.

Babolsar Township is the host of many tourists around the country annually.  The landfill of this township has located in the vicinity of the coast and on the other hand, due to proximity to residential, service, recreational, unsuitable conditions due to the emission of biogas and creating unpleasant odors in the region. due to the importance of the subject, in this research, the economic damage caused by the emission of unpleasant odors from this landfill, using the method of contingent valuation in the form of one and on-half dichotomous choices method and according to the Cochran formula, among 195 selected sample of indigenous and tourists of babolsar have been estimated. The results of logit model estimation on the basis of final effect showed that the proposed price variables, income, ethic-consequences desires and environmental trends have the greatest influence on the people's willingness to pay. The total economic damage costs to the society duo to the spread of the unpleasant odor of biogas of landfill has been estimated to be 42.759 billion Rials.