Wind erosion is one of the most serious problems in the Sistan region, located in the East ofIran and near the border of Afghanistan. During the dry and hot seasons, strong winds locally called the "Sadobist Roozeh", which means "120 windy days" blow from Northern and Northwestern directions to the Southeast. This wind entrains and transports dust and sand from the dry beds of ephemeral lakes, affecting the Sistan region in Iran, southern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. In order to investigate the land surface sensitivity to aeolian transport, 74 graduated pins were embedded randomly in the ephemeral Baringak Lake bed and the aeolian transport rates were measured for three events in 2013 individually as well as for the total study period. The spatial and temporal variation of the aeolian transport was also mapped using GIS and geostatistical methods for these events and for the total duration of 103 days. The resulting variograms revealed a high spatial dependence of the different events and showed that geostatistical techniques are a valid tool for the mapping of aeolian sediment transport. The average transport rate in terms of the detected drift height on the dry lake bed was 1.93 cm or 31 kg/m² between the 5^th of August and the 17^th of November in 2013.

Sand and dust storms cause damages to infrastructure, human society, and the environment. The methods used to control wind erosion depend on the type of ecosystem and land use. The purpose of this paper is to present the measures taken to control wind erosion in south-eastern Ahvaz (Khuzestan, Iran), which is a hotspot for dust storms. The map of land units was prepared using land resources method using remote sensing and field survey based on land forms and soil properties. The stationary ecological factors such as landform, geology, soils, and plants were surveyed and mapped on a 1:25,000 scale. The variation of dynamic ecological characteristics (climate, water resources) and the socioeconomic resources of lands factors related to dust production were also studied, and attribute table were formed in GIS environment. The ecological capability maps of different land uses including forestry, agriculture, range management, and environmental conservation were developed using Makhdoum’s model by analysis data and overlaying geographical maps in Geographical Information System. Based on the land capability class of each unit, specific dust control projects were identified for implementation. The results of land use showed that 37% of the dust source area is covered by rangelands, 10% by bare land, 11% by dried wetlands, 24% by rainfed, and 13% by farmland. The different control approaches were designed based on the type of land use such as dried wetlands, degraded rangeland, dunefields, and cropland.

Understanding aeolian sediment transport and wind erosion enhances our knowledge of desert dune formation and sand migration. The Makran region of southern Sistan and Baluchistan is prone to wind-driven erosion alongside frequent sand and dust storms (SDSs). Hourly wind data from two meteorological stations spanning 1994–2020 were analyzed to study erosive winds and sand transport. Wind energy analysis using drift potential (DP) indicated low energy (DP < 200 in vector unit) and minimal spatial variation across the Makran dune fields. The effective winds transporting sand particles were towards the east from November to May, and in the northwestern direction from June to October. The DP showed a gradual decline in the study area from 1990 to 2022, with no significant temporal trends. The sand dune morphology analysis indicates that bimodal wind regimes primarily form linear dunes and sand sheets, while crescentic, transverse, and topographic dunes are also present.