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"Quri Gol" marshland is located km 30 Tabriz city, over the transit road
of Tabriz - Tehran, and km 18 of Bostanabad. Located in the Bostanabad,
the area of the drainage basin of this marshland is 3,146 hectares,
itself is a piece of the catchment area of the Aji Chay river which is
debouching into the Urmia Lake. The nearest villages to this marshland
are Yousefabad and Omnab. The area for this marshland is stated between
160 to 200 hectares. This area has a dry cold climate.
There is no
permanent river existing in the catchment area of "Quri Gol" and a large
number of waterways are like watercourse and ended backwater. In
addition, a large number of waterways (especially, a grid of canals at
the western area) are lost before reaching the lake. This verifies our
theory that we only have groundwater flows and interflows. If there was
rainfall, thus, overland flows will start running on the large canals
over a short period. In other scenarios, the transfer of water from
canals to the marshlands will be through groundwater flows and
interflows. The grid of canals leading to the lake can be divided into
six canals. The largest canal with a length of 10 km is located in the
western part of the area. These canals have a slop of about 7 to 8%,
with a high erosion rate along its sides. There are 2 other canals in
the southwest part of the lake, with a total length of 11 km. However,
the two above canals are joining together near the lake, debouching into
the lake at one point. In addition, there are 3 other canals, with a
total length of 9 km, existing in the southern part of the lake. In the
northern part, we have several small and short canals that guide
overland flows of the flood to the northern part of the lake in times of
rainfall. Due to temporary canals and underground backwaters, we will
face difficulties in the assessment of water level. In the time being,
the water level is calculated to be 2.9 million m3 considering the lake
area of 160 hectares and a minimum depth of 1.8 meters. Regardless of
the average changes in depth, the water level will be 3.6 million m3 due
to the increase in the area to 200 hectares.
Physical properties
In
the westernmost part of the Atrak catchment area in the north of
Golestan province, there are three wetlands from the collection of
international wetlands registered in the Ramsar Convention, close to
each other. They are called Alagol, Almagol, Ajigol, which are also
known as the collection of three international wetlands. These are the
forty-ninth wetlands added to the list of critical international
wetlands (Ramsar List), registered in the Ramsar Convention on June 23,
1975.
With an area of 2500 hectares, Alagol is the largest wetland of
this collection and is located in a geographical position of 37 degrees
and 22 minutes north latitude and 54 degrees and 35 minutes east
longitude. The smallest wetland in this collection is Almagol, with 207
hectares and is located at 37 degrees and 25 minutes north latitude and
54 degrees and 38 minutes east longitude.
Ajigol, with 320 hectares,
is located at 37 degrees and 24 minutes north latitude and 54 degrees
and 40 minutes east longitude. Due to the new criteria of the Ramsar
Convention, 1, 2, 5, and 6 criteria, and also, as they are considered
examples of freshwater and brackish lakes belonging to the vast plains
of the eastern Caspian Sea, these wetlands are of international
significance.
There are lowlands in the wetlands also, and the
environment around the wetlands is a steppe area where low-height dunes
can be seen. All three Alagol, Almagol, and Ajigol wetlands are
classified into salt, brackish, calcareous, seasonal/periodic lagoons;
Seasonal / periodic freshwater lagoons and ponds; Seasonal / periodic
brackish, brackish and calcareous lakes; Seasonal / periodic freshwater
lakes; and wetland shrubs.
The altitude at the deepest point of
Alagol wetland is 6 meters, and the maximum depth is 4.5 meters at the
time of flooding. In most areas, the depth of Almagol differs from one
to 1.5 meters, and at most, it is up to three meters in some areas. The
western area of Ajigol is more profound than other areas, and its depth
differs from one to 1.5 meters and a maximum of three meters in most
places. Based on the De Martonne climate classification, this region is
arid.
The average annual rainfall in the wetlands is about 263,
and the average evaporation from the free water level of the studied
area is about 1068 mm. All three wetlands are permanent and their water
supply sources include rainfall, surface water, and regional effluents
and Atrak river overflows. Therefore, they are classified as wetlands
composed of surface water. The seasonal and temporary area and the bed
of the wetlands have changed over the years. The most significant
reasons for the increase and decrease of the wetlands water volume are
the change of the Atrak river water regime due to drought and the
construction of a dam upstream of this river, including in North
Khorasan Province, which is one of the most critical threatening factors
despite recent droughts. Overall, the soil of the area is considered
saline and alkaline soil. Natural factors such as high static water
level and human factors such as insufficient irrigation systems have
been influential in the salinity of the Alagol region.
Management program
According
to the experiences gained in other countries in developing a management
plan, integrated ecological management can play a significant role in
improving the condition of the country's wetlands as a modern scientific
and practical method. The beginning of the comprehensive ecological
management program of Alagol International Wetlands was fulfilled with
the active and associative presence of various stakeholders in the form
of holding workshops and creating the essential working groups.
To
develop comprehensive management of the wetland, a series of workshops
and also a process was operated, which was unique due to the
participation of many responsible organizations and the local community
and all stakeholders in the process.
