Introduction
Rivers and streams play essential role in surviving of human and other natural resources. Therefore, conservation and proper management of rivers and streams will increase the efficiency of natural resources and reduce of flood damage and erosion. Iran has very long shorelines and coastal zones where are highly important in terms of social, economic, political and military aspects. Accordingly, protection and sustainable development of coastal zone is vital duty in order to decline environmental issues and optimized usages from natural resources of the marine and coastal areas. Such areas, which are located at lowlands and exit points of watersheds, are subjected to several anthropo genic activities and marine-based land uses. River Engineering and Coastal Protection Research Department is responsible to implement the research for the purpose of river engineering, riv erbank protection, coastal zone management, rural develop ment, protection of emerged coastal lands and fishery activities. This department with several experts in the field of river and coastal zone studies and complete relevant and high-tech analyt ical and measurement instruments, are exclusive in Iran and in the west Asia.
Objectives
The objectives of the River Engineering and Coastal Pro tection Research Department are to investigate on various methods and skills for optimizing techniques to protect the rivers and coasts, conducting pilot projects for management practices in rivers and coastal zones, moni toring the implemented management practices in rivers and coastal zones and developing guidelines for design of river and coastal protection structures
- Principal research topics and pivots
- Identifying river and coastal zones characteristics,
- Protecting natural resources of river and coastal zones,
- Reclamation of natural resources of river and coastal zones,
- Integrated coastal zone management,
- Developing modern technologies to protect and manage natural resources of river and coastal zones,
- Identifying sedimentary, morphological, hydrolog ical and hydraulic characteristics of river and coastal zones,
- Identifying types, dimensions and techniques controlling environmental risks along river and coastal zones,
Some important implemented research projects
- Atlas of river thematic maps, Atlas of coastal thematic maps,
- Investigating Iran coastlines and development of coastal data bank,
- Recognizing and planning sedimentary cells along Persian Gulf and Oman Sea,
- Hydrodynamic studying marine currents and predicting erosion and sedimentation pattern in Gorgan Bay,
-Investigating sediment sources and sedimentation pattern of Reeg Creek, Bushehr Province,
- Investigating relationship between morphological changes and sediment characteristics of Nayband Bay mangrove forests,
- Investigating the effect of detention dams on hydraulic and sediment properties of floods,
- Developing mathematical models for water and sediment transport in rivers,Laboratory study on optimizing intake efficiency using different structural methods,
- Preparing data bank for rivers properties,
- Mining effects on rivers characteristics (morphology, sediment and flow regimes),
- Predicting morphological changes of rivers in the northern and southern coastal zones of Iran,
- Investigating efficiency of dam's spillway and outlets using physical models,
- Investigating efficiency of river protection measures using physical models,
- Physical model of the South Pars Harbors,
- Physical model of several coastal breakwaters,
- Laboratory testing of the stability two armors,
- Hydrodynamics of currents, waves and sediments of several bays, ports and deltas,