Research Article
Evaluation of Integrated Soil and Water Conservation Measures on Soil Properties, Soil Loss and Maize Production in Western Hararghe Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia
Gamachu Ayala Tarafa*
,
Fereja Shaka Ebisa,
Habtamu Hailu Tolosa
Issue:
Volume 14, Issue 3, September 2026
Pages:
55-63
Received:
20 July 2026
Accepted:
8 September 2026
Published:
24 September 2026
Abstract: This study evaluated the effects of integrated biophysical soil and water conservation (SWC) measures on soil properties, soil loss and maize yield in Daro Lebu district, West Hararghe zone, from 2020 to 2022. The experiment arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications, comprised eight treatments: Vetiver with bund, sole Vetiver, Elephant grass with bund, sole Elephant grass, Brachiaria with bund, sole Brachiaria, sole bund, and a control. Data were collected on soil properties, soil loss, plant height, number of cobs, and grain yield. The conservation measures improved soil properties relative to traditional practices. The lowest soil loss was recorded for Elephant grass with bund (4.85 t/ha) and Vetiver with bund (5.88 t/ha). The highest soil organic carbon (1.59%) was observed under Elephant grass with bund, followed by Vetiver (1.55%). Maize yield was highest under sole soil bund (5570 kg/ha), followed by the control (5416 kg/ha) and sole Brachiaria (5203 kg/ha), with no significant differences among treatments (p > 0.05). Although sole soil bund produced the highest maize yield in the short term, integrating Elephant grass with bund more effectively reduced soil erosion and enhanced soil properties in a sustainable manner. Therefore, the integration of Elephant grass with bund is recommended for the study area.
Abstract: This study evaluated the effects of integrated biophysical soil and water conservation (SWC) measures on soil properties, soil loss and maize yield in Daro Lebu district, West Hararghe zone, from 2020 to 2022. The experiment arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications, comprised eight treatments: Vetiver with bund,...
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Research Article
Caspian Sea Level Decline by 2035: Mathematical and Regional Assessment
Majid Ghorbani*
Issue:
Volume 14, Issue 3, September 2026
Pages:
64-71
Received:
3 September 2026
Accepted:
14 September 2026
Published:
28 September 2026
Abstract: The Caspian Sea is the world’s largest endorheic water body and has experienced substantial fluctuations in water level during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Recent climate projections indicate that increasing temperature, enhanced evaporation, and changes in riverine inflow may intensify the long-term decline in Caspian Sea level. This study builds on the mathematical and geometrical framework presented by Ghorbani (2025) for assessing shoreline and geometric changes along Iran’s Mazandaran coast and applies a 3-m water-level decline by 2035 as a regional scenario for the entire Caspian Sea. The main objectives are to estimate the potential changes in the total surface area and water volume of the Caspian Sea and to assess the potential consequences for coastal geometry, navigation, ports, and offshore oil and gas infrastructure in the five littoral states: Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan. The present Caspian Sea surface area is approximately 389,000 km2 and its volume is approximately 78,000 km3. Because the relationship between water level and surface area is strongly nonlinear, a 3-m decline cannot be converted into an area loss using a simple linear relationship. Nevertheless, historical observations and recent bathymetric studies suggest that a decline of this magnitude could result in the loss of several tens of thousands of square kilometers of water surface, particularly in the shallow northern Caspian. In this study, an initial scenario range of approximately 30,000-45,000 km2 of surface-area loss is proposed, while the corresponding reduction in water volume is estimated at approximately 1,000-1,200 km3. The consequences are not spatially uniform. Kazakhstan and Russia are expected to face the greatest direct risks to shallow-water offshore energy infrastructure because of fields such as Kashagan and Vladimir Filanovsky. Turkmenistan may also face substantial risks because of offshore developments in the Cheleken area and the shallow eastern Caspian. In Azerbaijan, major fields such as Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli are located in considerably deeper waters, making their direct exposure to a 3-m reduction relatively limited; however, ports, coastal terminals, navigation routes, and logistics infrastructure may be affected. In Iran, the principal impacts are expected to involve shoreline retreat, ports, wetlands, fisheries, tourism, and coastal infrastructure rather than large-scale offshore hydrocarbon production. The results indicate that a 3-m decline, although substantially smaller than the 8-14 m best-fit projections and the upper-end projections of up to 21 m by the end of the twenty-first century, should be considered an important early-warning scenario for regional infrastructure and energy planning. The study further demonstrates the potential value of extending the mathematical shoreline framework developed by Ghorbani (2025) toward a basin-wide model of energy-infrastructure vulnerability.
Abstract: The Caspian Sea is the world’s largest endorheic water body and has experienced substantial fluctuations in water level during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Recent climate projections indicate that increasing temperature, enhanced evaporation, and changes in riverine inflow may intensify the long-term decline in Caspian Sea level. This ...
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