Using a Fuzzy AHP approach to identify the affective parameters on development of Mangroves (A case study: Avicennia marina stands of Hormozgan Province)

This survey aimed to identify a set of crucial parameters which contribute to form the suitable sites for developing mangroves in Hormozgan Province. Therefore, a systematic literature review on 25 studies in Iran and comparable regions was conducted to identify the potentially-influential factors. It led to the subsequent selection of 3 main criteria and 9 sub-criteria. These were examined across the study site by means of Delphi method. The entire criteria were also weighted by Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The results indicate that the climate, the seawater properties and the physiographic properties (as main criteria) as well as the precipitation, the air temperature, the climate type, the sea waves, the tidewater quality and the physiochemical properties of land (as sub-criteria) play the most vital roles in the formation of optimal sites for Avicennia marina establishment. The physiographic property was the most crucial criterion, whereas the physical properties of land and precipitation were the most and least significant criteria, respectively. The results also returned a compatibility index of less than 0.1 in fuzzy hierarchical cluster analysis, which indicates the compatibility of judgments

Quantifying urban expansion using Landsat images and landscape metrics: a case study of the Halton Region, Ontario

The Halton Region, as part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), is regarded as one of the fastest growing regions in Canada, generating 20% of national gross domestic product. It is also one of the most desirable places for living and for thriving businesses. This research attempts to assess the urban expansion in the Halton Region, Ontario, Canada from 1989 to 2019 using satellite images, analysis approaches, and landscape metrics. Multitemporal Landsat images and the supervised learning algorithms in GIS software were used to explore the dynamic changes and to classify the urban and nonurban areas. The temporal urban expansion in the Halton Region experienced a dramatic rise, and it mainly occurred from the centre of the area. The analysis of landscape metrics based on different methods including the Land Use in Central Indiana (LUCI) model, the vegetation-impervious surface-soil (V-I-S) model, and the census data of Canada was carried out to understand the transition mode of the urbanization in the Halton Region. Also, the population growth in the centre of the Halton Region was considered as one of the driving forces affecting urban expansion. The results showed that most of the landscape metrics rose between 1989 and 2019, indicating that leapfrog pattern of urbanization occurred over the entire period. The purpose of this research is to evaluate urbanization in the Halton Region and give the city managers data to make appropriate decisions in further urban planning.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author