Water and Irrigation Management

Water and Irrigation Management

Estimation of the water requirements of the Shadgan Wetland using satellite-based vegetation monitoring and hydroecological analysis

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Mohammad Mahdi Beiki Sarveolya
Ali Moridi
Department of Water Engineering, Wastewater and Environment, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Water and Environment, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22059/jwim.2025.404071.1267
Abstract
The background and objective of this study relate to the significant hydrological and ecological role of Shadegan Wetland in maintaining the natural functions of the Persian Gulf. The wetland hosts a wide variety of aquatic plants and animals and is recognized as the most important breeding site of the marbled duck in the world. The aim of this research is to identify an appropriate balance in water allocation to the wetland for the conservation of its ecological functions, as well as to upstream agricultural lands to improve agricultural productivity. Accordingly, the main objective is to determine and calculate the water requirement of Shadegan Wetland based on vegetation monitoring variables. The methods employed include the use of the Google Earth Engine platform and Landsat 7 and 8 satellite imagery. With these tools, NDVI and NDWI indices for the study area were calculated. The results showed that the annual water requirement of Shadegan Wetland was estimated at three levels, 821, 1652, and 2887 million cubic meters per year. In addition to receiving water from the Jarahi River, the wetland also obtains part of its water from the Ramhormoz River, which accounts for 62 percent of the total supply. Therefore, the three levels of water requirement were adjusted to 509, 1024, and 1789 million cubic meters per year, respectively. These correspond to an economic value of 1741, 2273, and 2568 billion Tomans at levels one, two, and three, respectively. Vegetation monitoring further revealed that the average annual green surface area of the study region decreased from 484 km² in 2002 to 216 km² in 2018.
Keywords
Flow Regime
Surface Moisture
Spectral Indices
Remote Sensing
Subjects
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Water and Irrigation Management
Volume 15, Issue 4
Winter 2026
Pages 655-668