1
Full Professor of Malek Ashtar University of Technology , Tehran, Iran
2
Faculity of Passive Defense, Malek Ashtar university of Technology(MUT), Tehran, IRAN
Abstract
Freshwater desalination facilities, as critical water supply infrastructures in water-scarce regions, are considered strategic and sensitive centers from the perspective of civil defense. Their vulnerability can have far-reaching consequences in the fields of water security, environmental sustainability, and social stability. The current research aims to evaluate and explain the pattern of vulnerability of freshwater desalination facilities from a civil defense perspective using the Q method. This research is applied in terms of purpose and is a mixed qualitative-quantitative exploratory-confirmatory approach in terms of method. In the first step, by reviewing the theoretical foundations and the literature review, as well as the opinions of experts in the field of civil defense and water management, 200 statements were extracted as influential factors on vulnerability. In the next stage, using the Q technique, the statements were sorted within the participants' community, and the data was processed using SPSS software and exploratory factor analysis. The results of the factor analysis led to the identification of six dominant mental patterns in particular vulnerability dimensions, which can be explained through 139 cross-factors. Finally, the model derived from the research can be used as a decision-making framework for water managers and civil defense policymakers to prioritize vulnerability reduction actions and enhance the resilience of freshwater desalination facilities.
Modiri, M., & faramarzi, N. (2026). Exploring Expert Subjectivity in Assessing the Physical and Functional Vulnerability of Desalination Plants: A Q-Methodology Approach. Passive Defense, (), -.
MLA
Mehdi Modiri; niloofar faramarzi. "Exploring Expert Subjectivity in Assessing the Physical and Functional Vulnerability of Desalination Plants: A Q-Methodology Approach", Passive Defense, , , 2026, -.
HARVARD
Modiri, M., faramarzi, N. (2026). 'Exploring Expert Subjectivity in Assessing the Physical and Functional Vulnerability of Desalination Plants: A Q-Methodology Approach', Passive Defense, (), pp. -.
VANCOUVER
Modiri, M., faramarzi, N. Exploring Expert Subjectivity in Assessing the Physical and Functional Vulnerability of Desalination Plants: A Q-Methodology Approach. Passive Defense, 2026; (): -.
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