Lake Urmia in northwestern corner of Iran was once the second largest hypersaline lake of the world, covering on average an area of 5200 km 2 . However, the lake has been shrinking rapidly over the last 20 years, primarily due to anthropogenic influences, while climate change has had also a detectable influence. Climate change and anthropohenic impacts on the rapid shrinkage of Lake Urmia are investigated using long-term surface meteorological records of weather stations, while the number of constructed dams and expansion of irrigated areas in the Urmia Basin are also examined. Over the past few decades, a warming trend of the order 0.18 ∘ C decade −1 has been identified, while precipitation has been decreasing by approximately 9 mm decade −1 over the basin. As a consequence of such significant warming, evaporation from the lake has been increasing by the rate of 6.2 mm decade −1 . The increased air temperature and evaporation, along with the decreased precipitation indicate that Lake Urmia has been experiencing meteorological drought conditions. The main anthropogenic influence, on the other hand, has been overwhelming diversion of water sources for irrigation, which led to the socioeconomic drought of the region because demand for water has exceeded the supply. The meteorological drought, combined by the socioeconomic drought, have contributed to the significant shrinkage of Lake Urmia, started from the mid 1990s water level peak, although the latter has had the most significant contribution. As a consequence, the water level of Lake Urmia has been rapidly declining since 1995, with 6.1 m decline for the period 1995-2009. Its surface area has been also changing by the rate of −188.3 km 2 yr −1 , reaching from 5503 km 2 in 1998 to 2323 km 2 in 2011. Under the induced meteorological and, more importantly, socioeconomic drought conditions, substantial improvements in water management practices are required to preserve or partially restore the lake.

S U M M A R YThe upper-mantle structure across the Zagros collision zone, in southwest Iran, is investigated using a non-linear weighted damped least-squares teleseismic tomography approach. The resolution of the structures/transitions in the upper mantle is enhanced significantly by correcting the teleseismic relative arrival time residuals for an a priori crustal velocity model and then performing the inversion with fixed crustal blocks. To investigate whether or not the lithospheric blocks and major transitions in the resulting model are required by the data or are artefacts of the inversion, the data were inverted using two different inverse methods (singular value decomposition and a quadratic programming method). New high-quality seismic velocity models show apparent correlation between surface geological features and seismic velocity structures at lithospheric depth across the Zagros collision zone. The image shows a sharp lithospheric boundary at the Main Zagros Thrust between 100 km and 250 km depth with P-wave velocity about 3 per cent faster within the Arabian Shield to the south. A step-like increase in lithospheric thickness across the Zagros collision zone is assumed to separate two different mantle structures namely the Arabian (to the south) and the Eurasian (to the north) domains. The most striking feature resolved is a north-dipping slab-like positive velocity anomaly.

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Seismic hazard assessment and zoning of the Kermanshah-Sanandaj region in western Iran is conducted using probabilistic approach. Two maps have been prepared to indicate the earthquake hazard of the region in the form of iso-acceleration contour lines. They display a probabilistic estimate of peak ground acceleration (PGA) over bedrock for the return periods of 475 and 50 years. A uniform catalog of earthquakes containing historical and instrumental events covering the period from the eleventh century A.D. to 2003 is used. Twelve potential seismic sources are modeled as area sources in the region. Seismicity parameters are evaluated using the method in which magnitude uncertainty and incompleteness of earthquake data are considered. Seismic hazard assessment is carried out for a grid of 357 points with 0.1° intervals using the SEISRISKIII computer program for the study area encompassed by the 46–48° E longitudes and 34–36° N latitudes. This region includes the most active segments of the Zagros Main Recent Fault; among them, the Sahneh and Nahavand faults have a well-known history of intense seismic activity. PGA values for this region are estimated to be 0.35 g and 0.20 g for 475- and 50-years return periods, respectively.

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Purpose This study aims to apply statistical process control (SPC) techniques to improve the quality and efficiency of the processes in a restaurant. Design/methodology/approach SPC tools such as check sheet, cause-and-effect analysis, Pareto chart, control charts and SERVQUAL methodology is adapted to measure and improve the quality of the system. Findings At the end, some suggestions for improving the quality of service system are proposed in this study to complete the research. Research limitations/implications The most difficult part of this study was data collection. Because of the situation of the restaurant, the number of customers does not exceed 60 every day. Another limitation of this study is that the samples have been collected from the same population each day, and it may affect the final result. Practical implications The research is based on the present service system at a restaurant, located at a university campus in Cyprus. Social implications A similar study can be applied in the social sector to evaluate and improve service quality. Originality/value In this paper, for the first time, SPC and SERVQUAL are used to evaluate and improve quality in the service sector.

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