Climate change and its footprint on the geohazard amplification in Iran

It is September ۲۰۲۱, and most of the projections made by scientists about the devastating environmentaleffects of climate change have occurred around the world. Northern Europe, India and China experiencedunprecedented floods with return periods of nearly a thousand years. California forests face wider fireseach year. Canada overcame temperatures of over ۴۸ degrees Celsius, while few in the country had theexperience and readiness to face that heat wave. Iran is facing its worst drought in West Asia. Exploitationof water resources is underway as in the past. While in a period of ۶۰ years, the per capita water for eachIranian has decreased from ۶۵۰۰ cubic meters to about ۱۵۰۰ cubic meters. These conditions have causedsevere land subsidence almost in all plains containing fresh water in the country. On the other hand, dryplains, playas and wetlands have become areas prone to dust emissions. Rainfall is occurring in the formof floods, usually with changes in temporal, spatial and type patterns. And its consequence is manifestedin the form of flash flows, landslides and severe soil erosion, filling the reservoir of dams and reducingtheir efficiency.Melting polar ice and permanent glaciers and their entry into the seas, causing a variety ofhazards due to sea level rising such as destruction of coastal structures, salinization of coastal aquifers anddischarge of sewages, especially in the flat coastal plains of Khuzestan. In addition, one of the possibleconsequences is the disruption of the isostatic balance, for which little is known about its impact on theintensity and frequency of seismic events. The existence of Quaternary archives of loess, wetlands, coastalplains, caves, active faults and ancient landslides has enriched Iran to study the history of past naturalhazards and provides a good perspective for international cooperation with the aim of documenting pastevents as a key to recognizing future changes and perspectives. This is a presentation to illustrate theexisting conditions and introduce the richness of Iran's Quaternary geology in the study of natural hazards.