| Authors | Seyed Hamidreza Sadeghi-Manuel La Licata-Reza Chamani-Mostafa Zabihi Silabi-Sudabeh Gharemahmudli-Andrea Terret-Michael Maerker |
|---|---|
| Journal | Hydrological Sciences Journal |
| Paper Type | Full Paper |
| Published At | 2026 |
| Journal Grade | ISI |
| Journal Type | Typographic |
| Journal Country | Iran, Islamic Republic Of |
Abstract
Watershed health assessment is vital for sustainable water resource management, particularly
in systems facing sediment risks. This study presents the original application of the
Reliability-Resilience-Vulnerability (RelResVul) framework to evaluate the
sustainability of a dam watershed, Italy. It uniquely integrates multiple Suspended
Sediment Concentration (SSC) thresholds with concurrent rainfall, discharge, and
NDVI data to assess watershed health. Daily hydrological measurements and satellitederived
NDVI were used to calculate reliability, resilience, vulnerability, and a
composite health index. Sediment thresholds (0.8538 g L⁻¹) were tested against a 25
mg L⁻¹ water quality guideline. Results showed SSC patterns influenced by rainfall,
discharge, and NDVI. An 8 g L⁻¹ threshold yielded the best health index (0.82).
Performance became suboptimal at a 0.85 g L⁻¹ threshold, demonstrating a trade-off
between sediment control and ecosystem sustainability. The research supports
developing adaptive sediment-regulation strategies for climate variability,
emphasizing the need for managers to consider vegetation and land-use management.