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Farshad Amiraslani

PhD Candidate

Madsen Building, Rm 454
Phone: +61 2 9036 7069
Fax: +61 2 9351 3644
Email:

Supervisor
Assoc. Prof. Deirdre Dragovich

Research

Thesis title Multi-scale spatio-temporal assessment of desertification using remotely-sensed and ground-based indices in an Australian arid rangeland


Over the last 10 years, Farshad has taken part in researching, field surveying, publishing, consulting, planning and managing projects concerning climate change, drought and desertification at local, provincial and national levels in major dryland areas including Iran and Australia. Since 2007, he has been a PhD candidate at the School of Geosciences, University of Sydney.
The theme of his thesis relates to multi-scale quantitative modelling of desertification in an arid rangeland located in the Western NSW, Australia. Most desertification-related research has focused on a single temporal and spatial scale, but in this research a combination of data sources comprising ground data, satellite data, laboratory results, historical records and mathematical models have been employed. As a new approach to characterizing desertification by recognizing patterns at different scales, this thesis considered a variety of spatial and temporal scales using various climatic, ground and remote sensing data sources. The application of multi-scale and multi-temporal aspects to assess the occurrence of desertification linked findings related to current vegetation cover, soil (erosion, organic matter, and nutrients), and terrain (patchiness) features to long-term rainfall and historical records of land management.

Journal Papers since 2007

  • Dragovich D and Amiraslani F, in preparation. An analysis of rainfall variability in an arid Australia over the last century: Fowlers Gap Station as a case study.
  • Dragovich D and Amiraslani F, in preparation. Quantitative modelling of soil loss at small scale in an Australian degraded arid rangeland.
  • Amiraslani F and Dragovich D, in review. Combating desertification in Iran: changing approaches and continuing challenges.
  • Amiraslani F and Dragovich D (2010). Cross-sectoral and participatory approaches to combating desertification: the Iranian experience. Natural Resources Forum 34(2): 140-154.
  • Reyhan M K and Amiraslani F (2006). Studying the relationship between vegetation and physico-chemical properties of soil, case study: Tabas Region, Iran. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition 5(2):169-171.

Conference Papers since 2007

  • Karimpour Reihan M and Amiraslani F (2007).The effects of geomorphologic factors on vegetation in semi-arid climate. The 9th European Geosciences Union General Assembly, Vienna (Austria), 15-20 Apr 2007, Geophysical Research Abstracts, ISSN 1029-7006.
  • Mashhadi N and Amiraslani F (2007).The investigation of vegetation of Marl areas for biological controlling of water erosion in arid lands (Case study: Semnan province, Iran). The 9th European Geosciences Union General Assembly, Vienna (Austria), 15-20 Apr 2007, Geophysical Research Abstracts, ISSN 1029-7006.
  • Karimpour Reihan M and Amiraslani F (2007). The evolution of a specific ecosystem in a semi-arid climate (Case study: Razan basin, Iran). The 10th International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology (CEST 2007), 5-7 September, Kos Island, Greece, pp.B351-356.
  • Mashhadi N and Amiraslani F (2007).The study of sand sources in order to rehabilitate of desertified ecosystem (Case study: Khartooran Erg, Iran). The 10th International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology (CEST 2007), 5-7 September, Kos Island, Greece, B449-454.
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