Research Subdivisions:

• Climate & desert group.
• Water resources research group.
• Sand dune group.
• Investigation of socio-economic and desertification factor 

1-Water resources research group:

This research group is mainly focused on recognition of surface and underground water resources in desert regions including:

• The hydrologic processes of subsurface water resources are investigated both for desert and playa section of desert
• Research on water balance elements in sand dune systems and desert regions is another activity of this group

2-Sand dune group:

This research group is working on projects dealing with encroachment sand dune and desertification processes as fallows:

Formation of sandy desert and development of desertification processes.

Research on the basic principles of desert control or combating desertification

3- Climate & desert group :

• This research group is working on projects dealing with Investigation of climatic parameters influencing desertification processes.
• The impacts of climate change on water and natural resources
• Global warming, drought and desertification
• The impacts of climate change on drought and flood risks.
• Research on soil particles movement due to wind and water flows in order to determine thresholds, both for water and wind erosion.
• Research on mechanical and biological measures in order to fix shifting sands.

4- Investigation of socio-economic and desertification factor group:

• • This research group is responsible for desertification studies based on socio-economic indices and erosion hazard assessment. This policy finally Leeds to establish a sustainable human communities within desert regions.
  • Flowchart of desert research division Desert research division

Some of the important results achieved in the desert division :

• Determination of the suitability of the country’s database and information needed to prepare the Iran map of desertification using FAO and UNEP methodology in which 9 individual indices of desertification are formulated.
• Recognizing the important causes of human-induced land degradation in Iran. This finding shows that vegetative cover deterioration is responsible for the 46 percent of land degradation while wind erosion is accounted for only 5 percent.
• Determination of geographical desert domain using environmental criteria.
• Determination of the most suitable mechanical wind breaks in terms of height and distance between rows used for sand dune stabilization
• Introduction of the best distance between plant stands and rows for sand dune stabilization.
• Utilization of stabilized plain sand dune systems for the production of cash crops.
• Introduction of the traditional method of irrigation using the clay Jug for the establishment of seedling and shelterbelt.
• Diagnosis and monitoring the causes of man-mad desert in arid zones and introduction of the effective methods used to recover them.
• Determination of height of dune systems based on the seasonal fluctuation of moisture to establish vegetative cover.

One of the most practical findings achieved in the division of this institute which currently has been extended in the most Iran’s basins was aquifer management program. This achievement has recently accepted by FAO and well recognized as a way to save the life of 800 millions of starved people reside in the world wide.