Hadian et al. (2026) Global teleconnection-induced hydroclimatic changes and the desiccation of Lake Urmia: Insights from remote sensing

Identification

• Journal: Remote Sensing Applications Society and Environment
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-07
• Authors: Alireza Hadian, Yusef Kheyruri, Siyamak Doroudi, Ahmad Sharafati, Zaher Mundher Yaseen‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rsase.2026.102250

Research Groups

Department of Civil Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran Department of Civil Engineering, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran New Era and Development in Civil Engineering Research Group, Scientific Research Center, Al-Ayen Iraqi University (AUIQ), Thi-Qar, Nasiriyah, 64001, Iraq Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Membranes and Water Security, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia

Short Summary

This study investigates the impact of global teleconnection patterns on hydroclimatic changes in Lake Urmia, Iran, using remote sensing data. The results show that complex interactions between large-scale climatic drivers influence lake water level fluctuations.

Objective

• Investigate the relationships between teleconnection indices and lake area, precipitation, temperature, evaporation, and wind speed.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Global to regional scale (Lake Urmia, Iran)
• Temporal Scale: 2016-2024

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Multi-MOOTLBO-GDM framework
• Data sources: Satellite observations (monthly), teleconnection indices (ENSO, AO, PNA, EA, MJO, QBO, TNA, TSA, EPO, WPO, AAO)

Main Results

• Lake Urmia underwent considerable fluctuations during the study period, with a maximum extent of 4001 km2 in 2019 and a minimum extent of 1317 km2 in 2023.
• ENSO was found to be the teleconnection index exhibiting the highest explanatory power for precipitation variability (up to 31%).
• AO exhibited the highest explanatory power for temperature and evaporation variability (up to 89%).

Contributions

• The study provides new insights into the complex interactions between large-scale climatic drivers and lake water level fluctuations.
• The proposed Multi-MOOTLBO-GDM framework demonstrates its potential for identifying statistical relationships between teleconnection indices and lake-area variability.

Funding

• This research was funded by [project/program name] (reference code: [insert reference code]).

Citation

@article{Hadian2026Global,
  author = {Hadian, Alireza and Kheyruri, Yusef and Doroudi, Siyamak and Sharafati, Ahmad and Yaseen‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Zaher Mundher},
  title = {Global teleconnection-induced hydroclimatic changes and the desiccation of Lake Urmia: Insights from remote sensing},
  journal = {Remote Sensing Applications Society and Environment},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.rsase.2026.102250},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsase.2026.102250}
}