**3. Materials and methods**

## **3.1 Case study**

The current research, which is the result of the authors' efforts, has been conducted on the Tiab estuary. Tiab estuary in Hormozgan province - Iran is one of the estuaries of Sirik and Kolahy basin which is located in latitudes of 27 degrees and 8 minutes and longitude of 56 degrees and 44 minutes (**Figure 1**). The climatic conditions of this region are tropical to subtropical and its climate is hot and humid. The temperature in this region reaches 45 degrees Celsius in summer. The average annual rainfall in this region is about 100 to 300 mm between November and April. Most of the vegetation of this area includes pure communities of mangroves (Avicenina marina) which is located at the mouth of the estuary and the edges of tidal waterways (**Figure 2**) [22].

**Figure 2.** *Location of the study area.*
