sustainable architecture is known as an important strategy in recent years and all around the world are cooperating to achieve this by use of natural elements. there are many examples of residential buildings in iran s past and its traditional architecture that the architecture in the interim of paying attention to aesthetic issues and preserving the natural environment acts in a way that meets...

A particular aspect of the nonstationary nature of intermittent rainfall is investigated. It manifests itself in the fact that the average rain rate varies with the distance to the surrounding dry areas. The authors call this fundamental link between the rainfall intensity and the rainfall occurrence process the ‘‘dry drift.’’ Using high-resolution radar rain-rate maps and disdrometer data, the...

A simple dynamic model relating forest area in a region, its contribution to dry season precipitation and the effect on its own establishment was developed. The model equation shows hysteresis between forest and savannas as a function of imported dry season precipitation. Regions are either dominated by forests or savannas, with each ecosystem showing stability despite changes in imported dry s...

Vaulted or domed roofs have been frequently adopted by builders and architects throughout the Middle East and other hot dry areas. However, the thermal performance of such buildings under hot dry climatic conditions has rarely been quantitatively studied. In this paper, a detailed finite element model for the investigation of the thermal performance of non air-conditioned buildings with vaulted...

This paper investigates the function of windcatchers in dry regions in Middle East and compares them in different fields in two areas including Yazd-Iran, and Egypt. The study examines windcatchers in these areas in terms of cooling system and forms, with different plans, forms, constituent components and decorations.Reassessment of windcatchers in these areas can shed light on these difference...

Riparian vegetation is the main source of leaves and the main energy source for low order streams. Therefore, changes in its composition affect the structure and processes in streams. We studied the contribution of the riparian vegetation by analysing the annual input of litter in deforested and forested areas of a tropical stream. The lateral, vertical (aerial) and horizontal (drift) litter in...

A composite random sampling design was used to estimate the concentrations of hydrocarbons in sediments from two near-shore areas of Scotland (Firth of Clyde and Firth of Forth). The aim of this work was to estimate a mean value for each parameter in these areas, and to determine whether this can be done with more thorough coverage (better representation), better precision and less variance at ...

Air samples were collected at a highway intersection, coastal location and suburban area in Taichung, Taiwan for the characterization of nitrate containing particulates (NCPs) in dry deposition from October 2002 to February 2003. Sampling was accomplished with a surrogate surface technique in non-raining days. Collecting tapes were precoated with nitron (C20H16N4) in a vacuum evaporator control...

The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) has become a popular measure of drought across the globe. In this study, Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was used in annual period of time to survey on drought. Also, in order to zonation frequency of drought, geographic information system (GIS) software and Kriging method used for extracting dry areas. The zoning maps show most severe drought i...

The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) has become a popular measure of drought across the globe. In this study, Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was used in annual period of time to survey on drought. Also, in order to zonation frequency of drought, geographic information system (GIS) software and Kriging method used for extracting dry areas. The zoning maps show most severe drought i...