Analysis of Anthropogenic and Climate Change Effects on Mesopotamian Marshland- Iraq

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

1 Department of Physical Geography, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Geology, College of Science, University of Duhok, Duhok, Iraq

Abstract

Among the world's most essential natural environmental resources are wetlands. In Iraq, the Mesopotamia marshes are considered as among the most significant swamplands worldwide. They are situated in the massive flood plains of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates in the lower basin of Mesopotamia. In this paper, there will be a thoughtful study of the effect of climate and microclimate change on these Marshes. The main sources of data and scientific knowledge will be gathered and summarized from almost all previous research conducted in the area. Most of the papers involved in this summarized study are those related to remote sensing, since remote sensing tends to be the most effective approach as it is less costly and consumes less time. Most of the reviewed papers that have studied the marshland circumstances of the area showed a deterioration in the level of the area's water bodies due to climate change. However, there are other factors that influence and degrade these marshlands other than the effects of climate change. These extra factors are represented by the political and military actions conducted by the previous Iraq regime during the middle of the 1980s.  According to most of the most research implemented in the area, the water system in Iraq is experiencing significant challenges, thus increasing concerns about the Mesopotamian marshes that have been sustaining the region for thousands of years and which may possibly vanish soon.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Abbas, H. & Abdulameer, I., 2020. A study of the climate change impacts on Al Shuwaija Marsh - Wasit province using satellite remote sensing. AIP Conference Proceedings. doi.org/10.1063/5.0032934
Abdollahi, S., Madadi, M. & Ostad-Ali-Askari, K., 2021. Monitoring and investigating dust phenomenon on using remote sensing science, geographical information system and statistical methods. Applied Water Science, 11(7), 1-14.
Abed, J.M., 2007. Status of water birds in restored Southern Iraqi Marshes. Marsh Bulletin, 2(1), 64-79.
Abid, S.K., Sulaiman, N., Mahmud, N.P.N., Nazir, U. & Adnan, N.A., 2022. A review on the application of remote sensing and geographic information system in flood crisis management. In Conference on Broad Exposure to Science and Technology.
Aboelnour, M. & Engel, B.A., 2018. Application of remote sensing techniques and geographic information systems to analyze land surface temperature in response to land use/land cover change in Greater Cairo Region, Egypt. Journal of Geographic Information System, 10(1), 57-88.
Al Shabeeb, S., 2015. Ramsar Information Sheet for Site no. 2242, Hammar Marsh, Iraq (PDF). Gland: Ramsar Sites Information Service.
Al Sheikhly, O.F., Haba, M.K., Barbanera, F., Csorba, G. & Harrison, D.L., 2015. Checklist of the mammals of Iraq (Chordata: Mammalia). Bonn Zoological Bulletin, 64(1), 33-58.
Albarakat, R., Lakshmi, V. & Tucker, C.J., 2018. Using satellite remote sensing to study the impact of climate and anthropogenic changes in the Mesopotamian marshlands, Iraq. Remote Sensing, 10(10), 1524.
Al-Nasrawi, A.K.M., Fuentes, I. & Al-Shammari, D., 2021. Changes in Mesopotamian Wetlands: Investigations using diverse remote sensing datasets. Wetlands 41, 94 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-021-01490-x.
Al-Quraishi, A.M.F. & Negm, A.M., 2020. Introduction to “Environmental Remote Sensing and GIS in Iraq”. In Environmental Remote Sensing and GIS in Iraq (pp. 3-15). Springer, Cham.
Al-Quraishi, A.M.F. & Negm, A.M., 2020. Updates, Conclusions, and Recommendations for Environmental Remote Sensing and GIS in Iraq. In Environmental Remote Sensing and GIS in Iraq (pp. 517-529). Springer, Cham.
Al-Quraishi, A.M.F., Qader, S.H. & Wu, W., 2020. Drought monitoring using spectral and meteorological based indices combination: a case study in Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan region of Iraq. In Environmental remote sensing and GIS in Iraq (pp. 377-393). Springer, Cham.
Al-Sheikhly, O.F. & Nader, I.A., 2013. The Status of the Iraq Smooth-coated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli Hayman 195 F and Eurasian Otter Lutra lutra Linnaeus 1758 in Iraq. IUCN Otter Spec. Group Bull, 30(1).
Al-Zahery, N., Pala, M., Battaglia, V., Grugni, V., Hamod, M., Hooshiar Kashani, B., Olivieri, A., Torroni, A., Santachiara-Benerecetti, A. & Semino, O., 2011. In search of the genetic footprints of Sumerians: A survey of Y-chromosome Page 9/14 and mtDNA variation in the Marsh Arabs of Iraq. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 11. 288. 10.1186/1471- 2148-11-288.
Azzawi, J.H. & Abdulameer, I.M.A., 2022. Environmental monitoring of water area in the Najaf Sea, Iraq during 1990-2020 using remote sensing data. In AIP Conference Proceedings, 2437(1), 020034. AIP Publishing LLC.
Buringh, P., 1960. Soils and Soil Conditions in Iraq. Baghdad, Iraq: Ministry of Agriculture of Iraq, 337p.
Chen, Z.Q.R., Kavvas, M.L., Ohara, N., Anderson, M.L. & Yoon, J., 2011. Impact of water resources itilization on the hydrology of Mesopotamian Marshlands. Journal of Hydrologic Engineering, 16(12), 1083-1092. doi:10.1061/(asce)he.1943-5584.0000208 
Hasab, H.A., Jawad, H.A., Dibs, H., Hussain, H.M. & Al-Ansari, N., 2020. Evaluation of water quality parameters in marshes zone southern of Iraq based on remote sensing and GIS techniques. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 231(4), 1-11.
Jabbar, M.A., Al-Ma'amar, A.F. & Shehab, A.T., 2010. Change detections in marsh areas, south Iraq, using remote sensing and GIS applications. Iraqi Bulletin of Geology and Mining, 6(2), 17-39.
Jacobsen, T. & Adams, R.M., 1958. Salt and silt in ancient Mesopotamian agriculture, Science, 128, 1251-1258.
Jones, C.K., Sultan, M., Yan, E., Al-Dousari, A., Al-Kaisy, S., Becker, R. & Milewski, A., 2006. An integrated approach (RS, GIS, & modeling) for the assessment of the disintegration and renovation of the Mesopotamian Marshlands. In AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts, 2007, H23D-05.
Kadhim, M.M., 2018. Monitoring land cover change using remote sensing and GIS techniques: a case study of Al-Dalmaj marsh, Iraq. Journal of Engineering, 24(9), 96-108.
Lu, G., Batty, M., Strobl, J., Lin, H., Zhu, A.X. & Chen, M., 2019. Reflections and speculations on the progress in Geographic Information Systems (GIS): A geographic perspective. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 33(2), 346-367.
Mahmoudi, L., Doumari, S.A., Safarianzengir, V., Maleki, R., Kianinejad, S. & Kianian, M., 2021. Monitoring and prediction of dust and investigating its environmental impacts in the Western Half of Iran and the Eastern Borders of Turkey and Iraq, using remote sensing and GIS. Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing, 49(4), 713-724.
Mawahib, F. A.J., Ahmed, F.Al-M. & Ahmed, T.Sh., 2010. Change detections in marsh areas, South Iraq, using remote sensing and GIS applications. Iraqi Bulletin of Geology and Mining, 6(2), 17-39.
Monteith, J.L., 1981. Evaporation and surface temperatur, quarterly Journal of the royal meterology Society, 107(451), 1-27, https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.49710745102.
Morrison, J., 2015. Tigris-Euphrates alluvial salt marsh. Worldwildilife. World wildlife. N.d.Web..
Partow, H., 2001. The Mesopotamian Marshlands: Demise of an Ecosystem Technical Report, UNEP/DEWA/TR.01-3 Rev. 1 (PDF). Geneva: UNEP Division of Early Warning and Assessment / International Environment House. ISBN 92-807-2069-4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-12-15. Retrieved 2016-09-28
Richardson, C.J. & Hussain, N.A., 2006. Restoring the Garden of Eden: an ecological assessment of the marshes of Iraq. BioScience, 6, 477-489. doi:10.1641/00063568(2006)56[477:RTGOEA]2.0.CO;2.
Salman, S.D., Abbas, M.F., Ghazi, A.H.M., Ahmed, H.K., Akash, A.N., Douabul, A.A., Warner, B.G. and Asada, T., 2014. Seasonal changes in zooplankton communities in the re-flooded Mesopotamian wetlands, Iraq. Journal of Freshwater Ecology. 29(3), 397-412. 
doi:10.1080/02705060.2014.907547. S2CID 83503578.
Scott, D.A., ed. 1995. A Directory of Wetlands in the Middle East. IUCN / International Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Bureau. p. 560. ISBN 2-8317-0270-4.
Wu, W., Al-Shafie, W.M., Mhaimeed, A.S., Ziadat, F., Nangia, V. & Payne, W.B., 2014. Soil Salinity mapping by multiscale remote sensing in Mesopotamia, Iraq. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing, 7(11), 4442-4452. doi:10.1109/jstars.2014.2360411 
Ziboon, A.T., Albayati, M.M. & Dalhel, F.T., 2022. Monitoring soil degradation in the Mesopotamian Plain using GIS and remote sensing techniques. Engineering and Technology Journal, 40(05), 649-660.
 

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics