The Govanda Formation was deposited during the Miocene in the intermontane areas between the Zagros suture and imbricate zones.The Govanda Formation was studied in the Sherwan Mazin area within Mergasor district,Erbil...The Govanda Formation was deposited during the Miocene in the intermontane areas between the Zagros suture and imbricate zones.The Govanda Formation was studied in the Sherwan Mazin area within Mergasor district,Erbil Governorate to identify the lithostratigraphy and microfacies analysis in order to determine the depositional environment of the formation.The formation in the studied section is 116 m thick and mainly consists of reddish-brown,hard,thickbedded,chert-bearing conglomerate,pinkish shale and yellowish-grey,thick-bedded,detrital,fossiliferous limestone.The formation is unconformably underlain by the Upper Cretaceous Tanjero Formation and conformably overlain by the Merga Red Beds series.Four different lithostratigraphic units were identified,based on field observation and petrographic analysis,including a basal conglomerate unit(A),a shale unit(B),a well-bedded limestone unit(C)and a thick and massively-bedded limestone unit(D).The presence of a thick conglomerate bed at the base of the formation indicates a large unconformity that lasted nearly 40 million years.Based on detailed microfacies analysis of carbonate rocks,five main microfacies and 15 submicrofacies are recognized.The main microfacies types include mudstone,wackestone,packstone,grainstone and boundstone microfacies.Based on the microfacies types the depositional environment are defined as open lagoon,reef,fore-reef and back-reef environments of normal to saline,nutrient rich water.展开更多
Iraq is one of the Middle East and North African countries (MENA region). The country is currently facing a serious water shortage problem. This problem is expected to be more severe in the future where the supply is ...Iraq is one of the Middle East and North African countries (MENA region). The country is currently facing a serious water shortage problem. This problem is expected to be more severe in the future where the supply is predicted to be 43 and 17.61 Billion Cubic Meters (BCM) in 2015 and 2025 respectively while current demand is estimated to be between 66.8 and 77 BCM. It has been estimated that the Tigris and Euphrates river discharges will continue to decrease with time, and they will be completely dry by 2040. Serious, prudent and quick measures need to be taken to overcome this problem. The government should take measures to have a strategic water management vision, including regional cooperation and coordination, research and development, improving agriculture and sanitation sector as well as public awareness program. These measures are required in order to address the following topics: Strategic Water Management Vision, Regional cooperation and coordination, Irrigation and Agriculture, Water Supply and Sanitation, and Research and Development.展开更多
Water quality of the East Hammar marsh after restoration was assessed by using the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCME WQI).The model was applied in two approaches based on the h...Water quality of the East Hammar marsh after restoration was assessed by using the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCME WQI).The model was applied in two approaches based on the historical data and the CCME aquatic life guidelines as objectives. Variables included in the index calculation were Water Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, Salinity, pH value, Total Nitrogen, Ammonia, Nitrate, Phosphorus and Sodium. The CCME WQI analysis in both approaches reflected that water quality of the East Hammar marsh is rated as poor based on 2005-2006 data, meaning that the conditions of the marsh are often depart from natural or desirable levels particularly in respect to sodium and nitrogenous compounds;it simply has not recovered yet. The results reflect that the marsh area is still far from the current guideline criteria and, too far from restoration.展开更多
Iraq is one of the riparian countries within basins of Tigris-Euphrates Rivers in the Middle East region. The region is currently facing water shortage problems due to the increase of the demand and climate changes. I...Iraq is one of the riparian countries within basins of Tigris-Euphrates Rivers in the Middle East region. The region is currently facing water shortage problems due to the increase of the demand and climate changes. In the present study, average monthly water flow measurements for 15 stream flow gaging stations within basins of these rivers in Iraq with population growth rate data in some of its part were used to evaluate the reality of the current situation and future challenges of water availability and demand in Iraq. The results showed that Iraq receives annually 70.92 km3 of water 45.4 and 25.52 km3 from River Tigris and Euphrates respectively. An amount of 18.04 km3 of the Tigris water comes from Turkey while 27.36 km3 is supplied by its tributaries inside Iraq. The whole amount of water in the Euphrates Rivers comes outside the Iraqi borders. Annual decrease of the water inflow is 0.1335 km3·year-1 for Tigris and 0.245 km3·year-1 for Euphrates. This implies that the annual percentage reduction of inflow rates for the two rivers is 0.294% and 0.960%, respectively. Iraq consumes annually 88.89% (63.05 km3) of incoming water from the two rivers, where about 60.43% and 39.57% are from Rivers Tigris and Euphrates respectively. Water demand increases annually by 1.002 km3, of which 0.5271 km3 and 0.475 km3 are within Tigris and Euphrates basins respectively. The average water demand in 2020 will increase to 42.844 km3·year-1 for Tigris basin and for Euphrates 29.225 km3·year-1 (total 72.069 km3·year-1), while water availability will decrease to 63.46 km3·year-1. This means that the overall water shortage will be restricted to 8.61 km3.展开更多
The present work studies the environmental isotopes assess groundwater characteristics of the different parts of the main aquifer in the northeast Missan Province in south of Iraq. Water samples of groundwater and sur...The present work studies the environmental isotopes assess groundwater characteristics of the different parts of the main aquifer in the northeast Missan Province in south of Iraq. Water samples of groundwater and surface water were collected for two dry and wet seasons during the water year of 2011-2012. The study shows that most of the groundwater in the aquifer falls above the global meteoric water line, and all the samples fall below the Mediterranean meteoric water line, indicating that these samples are a mixture of two water types. The tritium content of these samples supports this conclusion. The overall conclusion of this study indicates that there are two sources of groundwater recharge in the studied area： the ephemeral streams （Teeb and Dewerge） and major precipitation sources. According to the tritium levels at or below one tritium unit （TU） obtained from the water, supply wells are highly confined or ＂not vulnerable＂. Overall, the 3^H results imply that recent recharge has taken place during the last four to five decades. In the recharge area, the high tritium content in the southern part of the Teeb area suggests that the recharge originates from rapid infiltration of surface runoff. Therefore, the groundwater resources in the study area should be protected from contamination, because it will influence the aquifer in a relatively short period of time if any contamination enters the recharge areas of the aquifer.展开更多
Objective: To investigate the relationship between hepatitis B virus(HBV) positivity and pregnancy outcomes. Also, the association between HBV-related risk factors and HBV status was studied.Methods: A total of 100 HB...Objective: To investigate the relationship between hepatitis B virus(HBV) positivity and pregnancy outcomes. Also, the association between HBV-related risk factors and HBV status was studied.Methods: A total of 100 HBV positive pregnant women were recruited and the pregnancy outcomes were compared with 301 HBV negative women. Blood samples were collected and tested for HBV by HBs Ag ELISA. Data were collected for recruited subjects using interview questionnaire.Results: Data analysis showed that 51/100(51%) of the HBV-positive subjects gave a history of HBV in the family which was significantly higher than that of HBV-negative patients [41/301(13.6%) P = 0.001]. A significant association was found between positive history of surgery and HBs Ag positivity(P = 0.009). Then, pregnancy outcomes were stratified according to the HBV positivity. No significant association was found between HBV status and pregnancy outcomes(P > 0.05 for all).Conclusions: Positive family history of HBV and previous surgical procedures are associated with higher rate of HBV positivity. No association is found between HBV positivity and pregnancy outcomes.展开更多
Indices of Biological Integrity (IBIs) are being increasingly used as useful and direct tools for assessing general health of aquatic ecosystems. Although such ecosystems in Iraq, especially the southern marshes, unde...Indices of Biological Integrity (IBIs) are being increasingly used as useful and direct tools for assessing general health of aquatic ecosystems. Although such ecosystems in Iraq, especially the southern marshes, underwent severe alterations during the last two decades, including extensive desiccation in the 1990s, such tools are largely lacking. Phytoplankton Index of Biological Integrity (P-IBI) was developed from data collected seasonally from 2005 up to 2007 in different sites of the southern marshes of Iraq to evaluate the trend of these ecosystems based on phytoplankton data. Ten metrics were selected for measuring P-IBI for the first time in Iraq as a proposed project from Nature Iraq and Twin Rivers Institute, American University of Iraq-Sulaimani. Although generally fluctuated both spatially and temporally, mean P-IBI scores showed better conditions in Al Hawizeh marsh (Good) as compared to the Central and West & East Al Hammar marshes (Fair to Good). However, the results generally indicated evidence of improvement at the Central and West & East Al Hammar marshes, whereas no recovery of the status of water was evident throughout the data obtained at Al Hawizeh marsh. Values were generally higher in winter. These observations clearly reflect the relative stability of the Hawizeh marsh ecosystem which was not subject to the desiccation process in the 1990s, while the severely dried systems of the Central and Hammar marshes are showing positive responses to the restoration efforts that were started after 2003. Among the ten metrics comprising the index, relative abundance of diatoms had the most prominent effect on the P-IBI value in the three marshes. Metrics such as chlorophyll- a concentration and relative abundance of Cyanophyta and Chlorophyta also played a significant role in determining the index value. Continuous monitoring based on the selection of the most suitable metrics is recommended.展开更多
In recent years, land use/cover dynamic change has become a key subject that needs to be dealt with in the study of global environmental change. In this paper, remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) a...In recent years, land use/cover dynamic change has become a key subject that needs to be dealt with in the study of global environmental change. In this paper, remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) are integrated to monitor, map, and quantify the land use/cover change in the southern part of Iraq (Basrah Province was taken as a case) by using a 1:250 000 mapping scale. Remote sensing and GIS software were used to classify Landsat TM in 1990 and Landsat ETM+ in 2003 imagery into five land use and land cover (LULC) classes: vegetation, sand, urban area, unused land, and water bodies. Supervised classification and normalized difference build-up index (NDBI) were used respectively to retrieve its urban boundary. An accuracy assessment was performed on the 2003 LULC map to determine the reliability of the map. Finally, GIS software was used to quantify and illustrate the various LULC conversions that took place over the 13-year span of time. Results showed that the urban area had increased by the rate of 1.2% per year, with area expansion from 3 299.1 km2 in 1990 to 3 794.9 km2 in 2003. Large vegetation area in the north and southeast were converted into urban construction land. The land use/cover changes of Basrah Province were mainly caused by rapid development of the urban economy and population immigration from the countryside. In addition, the former government policy of "returning farmland to transportation and huge expansion in military camps" was the major driving force for vegetation land change. The paper concludes that remote sensing and GIS can be used to create LULC maps. It also notes that the maps generated can be used to delineate the changes that take place over time.展开更多
The study is conducted to estimate the resistance of three soils (EL Hartha clay loam, Barjisiya sandy loam and the soil near the sand dunes in Sheikh sa'ad area sandy soil) to wind erosion, it is also aimed at g...The study is conducted to estimate the resistance of three soils (EL Hartha clay loam, Barjisiya sandy loam and the soil near the sand dunes in Sheikh sa'ad area sandy soil) to wind erosion, it is also aimed at getting full acquaintance of the relationship between the soil loss and the physical and chemical features of soil. In addition to the experiment of some soil stabilizers, polyacrylamide (PAM) concentration of 0.2 % and crude oil in concentration of 1 % in order to reduce or prevent wind erosion. The study shows that the amendment increased the dry soil aggregate >1 mm, mean weight diameter and soil moisture. It is clear that polyacrylamide had greater effect than that of crude oil, besides the great effectiveness of these amendments in decreasing bulk density and relations of soil loss.展开更多
Water Quality Index (WQI) was applied in Dokan Lake, Kurdistan region, Iraq using ten water quality parameters (pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Turbidity, Conductivity, Hardness, Alkalinity, Sodium, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, N...Water Quality Index (WQI) was applied in Dokan Lake, Kurdistan region, Iraq using ten water quality parameters (pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Turbidity, Conductivity, Hardness, Alkalinity, Sodium, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Nitrate and Nitrite). The relative weight assigned to each parameter ranged from 1 to 4 based on the importance of the parameter for aquatic life. The results indicated that water quality of Dokan Lake declined from Good in the years 1978, 1979, 1980, 1999, 2000 and 2008 to Poor in 2009. The impact of various anthropogenic activities was evident on some parameters such as the EC and BOD. It is suggested that monitoring of the lake is necessary for proper management. Application of the WQI is also suggested as a very helpful tool that enables the public and decision makers to evaluate water quality of lakes in Iraq.展开更多
To reveal the law of oiliness of the Upper Cretaceous carbonate reservoirs in the Middle East and factors controlling the oiliness, the Mishrif Formation of the H oilfield in Iraq was examined comprehensively. Based o...To reveal the law of oiliness of the Upper Cretaceous carbonate reservoirs in the Middle East and factors controlling the oiliness, the Mishrif Formation of the H oilfield in Iraq was examined comprehensively. Based on core observation and description, casting thin section analysis, and statistics of physical property and pore-throat structure parameter, etc., in combination with previous achievements and understanding, it is pointed out that the coring interval of Mishrif Formation has strong oiliness heterogeneity, and can be divided into 4 grades, oil rich, oil immersed, oil spot, and oil trace; the oil-bearing grade has obvious facies-controlled characteristic in macroscopic view; and in different oil-bearing grades, relatively oil-rich sections present higher karst development intensity, better physical properties and pore-throat structure characteristics. It is concluded through the study that the sedimentary microenvironment and eogenetic karstification determine the macroscopic oiliness of the reservoir in Mishrif Formation of H Oilfield, and the improvement of pore-throat structure caused by eogenetic karstification is the decisive factor of the micro oil-bearing difference of the reservoir. Finally,the genetic model of reservoir development and oil-bearing difference was established.展开更多
Iraq is facing water shortage problem despite the presence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. In this research, long rainfall trends up to the year 2099 were studied in Sulaimani city northeast Iraq to give an idea a...Iraq is facing water shortage problem despite the presence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. In this research, long rainfall trends up to the year 2099 were studied in Sulaimani city northeast Iraq to give an idea about future prospects. The medium high （A2） and medium low B2 scenarios have been used for purpose of this study as they are more likely than others scenarios, that beside the fact that no climate modeling canter has performed GCM （global climate model） simulations for more than a few emissions scenarios （HadCM3 has only these two scenarios） otherwise pattern scaling can be used for generating different scenarios which entail a huge uncertainty. The results indicate that the average annual rainfall shows a significant downward trend for both A2 and B2 scenarios. In addition, winter projects increase/decrease in the daily rainfall statistics of wet days, the spring season show very slight drop and no change for both scenarios. However, both summer and autumn shows a significant reduction in maximum rainfall value especially in 2080s while the other statistics remain nearly the same. The extremes events are to decrease slightly in 2080s with highest decrease associated with A2 scenario. This is due to the fact that rainfall under scenario A2 is more significant than under scenario B2. The return period of a certain rainfall will increase in the future when a present storm of 20 year could occur once every 43 year in the 2080s. An increase in the frequency of extreme rainfall depends on several factors such as the return period, season of the year, the period considered as well as the emission scenario used.展开更多
Countries in Middle East and North Africa (MENA region) are considered as arid and semi-arid areas that are suffering from water scarcity. They are expected to have more water shortages problem due to climatic change....Countries in Middle East and North Africa (MENA region) are considered as arid and semi-arid areas that are suffering from water scarcity. They are expected to have more water shortages problem due to climatic change. Iraq is located in the Middle East covering an area of 433,970 square kilometers populated by 31 million inhabitants. One of the solutions suggested to overcome water scarcity is Rainwater Harvesting (RWH). In this study Macro rainwater harvesting technique had been tested for future rainfall data that were predicted by two emission scenarios of climatic change (A2 and B2) for the period 2020-2099 at Sulaimaniyah Governorate north east of Iraq. Future volumes of total runoff that might be harvested for different conditions of maximum, average, and minimum future rainfall seasons under both scenarios (A2 and B2) were calculated. The results indicate that the volumes of average harvested runoff will be reduced when average rainfall seasons are considered due to the effect of climatic change on future rainfall. The reduction reached 10.82 % and 43.0% when scenarios A2 and B2 are considered respectively.展开更多
This study presents an integrated study of expansion process of salinized land in Basrah Province, a typical salt-affected area in southern parts of Iraq, by using geo-information techniques. Satellite images （Landsa...This study presents an integrated study of expansion process of salinized land in Basrah Province, a typical salt-affected area in southern parts of Iraq, by using geo-information techniques. Satellite images （Landsat TM 1990） and thematic maps （ETM 2003） were used to provide comprehen- sive views of surface conditions such as vegetation cover and salinization detection. With ERDAS soft- ware, the normalized differential salinity index （NDSI） and salinity index （SI） were computed and then evaluated for soil degradation by salinization. ARC/INFO software was used along with field observa- tion data （global positioning system） for analysis. During the past 13 years, the salinized land in study area increased by 6 579.1 km2 and in 2003 covered 34.5% of the total area; in the meantime, vegetation cover has decreased by 4 595.9 km2 and in 2003 covers only 24.1% of the study area. Environmental changes show that, between 1990 and 2003, 37.5% of vegetation cover and 45.9% of marshlands were transformed into salty meadow and wet salty crust, respectively. In addition, there was 16.6% of sand lands converted into dry puffy salty crust. Results using spatial analysis methods showed that 7 894.9 km2 （41.4%） of land had no risk of environment degradation by soil salinity, 4 595.9 km2 （24.1%） bad slight risk, 4 042.8 km2 （21.2%） had moderate risk, and 2 536.3 km2 （13.3%） of the total land area was at a high risk of environment degradation by soil salinity. In conclusion, the study area was ex- posed to a high risk of soil salinity.展开更多
Babylon Governorate covers an area of 5315 km2 with a population that reaches about 1,974,490 inhabitants in the central part of Iraq. Iraq produced 31,000 tons/day solid waste in 2013. The Governorate of Babylon prod...Babylon Governorate covers an area of 5315 km2 with a population that reaches about 1,974,490 inhabitants in the central part of Iraq. Iraq produced 31,000 tons/day solid waste in 2013. The Governorate of Babylon produces annual 483,221 tons of solid waste. Management of collection and disposal of waste in Babylon Governorate is done through open dumping of waste and poor collection process. These sites do not conform to the scientific and environmental criteria applied in the selection of landfill sites. To find out how much solid waste is expected in the future, two methods were used to calculate the population growth in Babylon Governorate to the year 2030. The results showed that the total waste in 2030 will be 761,104 tons and 943055 tons while the cumulated quantity of solid waste expected till 2030 was 12,494,521 tons and 14,095,437 tons according to the first and second methods respectively.展开更多
The Middle East (ME) is characterized by its water shortage problem. This region with its arid climate is expected to be the most vulnerable in the world to the potential impacts of climate change. Iraq (located in ME...The Middle East (ME) is characterized by its water shortage problem. This region with its arid climate is expected to be the most vulnerable in the world to the potential impacts of climate change. Iraq (located in ME) is seriously experiencing water shortage problem. To overcome this problem rain water harvesting can be used. In this study the applicability of the long-term weather generator model in downscaling daily precipitation Central Iraq is used to project future changes of precipitation based on scenario of seven General Circulation Models (GCMs) outputs for the periods of 2011-2030, 2046-2065, and 2080-2099. The results indicated that December-February and September-November periods, based on the ensemble mean of seven GCMs, showed an increasing trend in the periods considered;however, a decreasing trend can be found in March, April, and May in the future.展开更多
Objective: The main objective of the present study is to assess the interrelationship between renal calculi, selected ions, thyroid and parathyroid hormones and urinary tract infections. Methods: This study was carrie...Objective: The main objective of the present study is to assess the interrelationship between renal calculi, selected ions, thyroid and parathyroid hormones and urinary tract infections. Methods: This study was carried out on 150 patients attended Tikrit Teaching Hospital from 2008 to 2009. Stones and serum ions were analyzed utilizing relevant Biolab Company kits (France). Thyroid hormones were determined using ELISA microwells kit (Accuubind, USA) Parathyroid hormone was estimated by active I-PTH ELISA (DSL, USA).Urine cultures were done utilizing cystine-lactose- electrolyte deficient (CLED) medium. Various isolated pathogens were conventionally identified. Results: Urine cultures revealed that 42% of the patients had urinary tract infections particularly with Enterobacteriaceae. 68% of the stones tested were calcium oxalate. Infective and noninfective stones were classified. Calcium ion was more elevated in patients examined. Hypothyroidism was prevalent but parathyroid hormone (PTH) was elevated among 14 patients only. Conclusions: The frequency of UTI was higher among urolithiasis patients and the common causative agents were Gram negative bacteria. Renal stones of calcium origin were predominant. Hormonal abnormalities were seen. 15 patients with hyperthyroidism revealed hypercalcemia and hypercalciuria.展开更多
Iraq is part of West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region. The area is known as dry land, famous with gap of crop yield as a result of the water shortage problem. Six basins with total catchment area of 614.19 km2 at r...Iraq is part of West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region. The area is known as dry land, famous with gap of crop yield as a result of the water shortage problem. Six basins with total catchment area of 614.19 km2 at rain-fed of Northern Sinjar District (Iraq) had been chosen to investigate both of the potential of rainwater harvesting (RWH) and three supplemental irrigation (SI) scenarios S1, S2, and S3 (100%, 75%, and 50% of full irrigation requirement) to support the wheat yield (bread and durum) under various rainfall conditions for the study period 1990-2009. The results indicated that, the total volume of harvested runoff can be considered for irrigation practices, that reached up to 42.4, 25.1, 0.6, 10.9 (× 106 m3) during 1995-1996, 1996-1997, 1998-1999, and 2001-2002, respectively. The total irrigated area ranged between 10.9 - 5163.7 and 8.8 - 3595.7 (ha) for bread and durum wheat crop for the four selected seasons respectively. The yield scenarios for supplemental irrigation condition Y1, Y2, and Y3 give 68 - 9712, 94 - 12,999, and 105 - 22,806 Ton for bread wheat, and for durum wheat give 56 - 8035, 87 - 10,906, and 103 - 17,396 Ton.展开更多
The most famous deserts exist in subtropical regions which is the direct outcome of insufficient precipitation and high temperatures. The Middle East deserts are subjected often to dust, which reduces horizontal visib...The most famous deserts exist in subtropical regions which is the direct outcome of insufficient precipitation and high temperatures. The Middle East deserts are subjected often to dust, which reduces horizontal visibility to 5 km, and sometimes even to less than 100 m. The severe and prolong drought recently afflicting the west Asia region has been suggested to be instrumental in producing an increased output of dust into the atmosphere from the region. Regarding the increasing of dust events over the west of Iran with the external origin in the recent decade (from 2000 to present), so the main dust-source areas over Iraq and Syria have been detected using the dust-source map of the southwest of Asia, satellite images and soil type maps. We considered the relationship between the increasing of dust events in the western of Iran and drought expansion over the main dust-production areas during the recent decade. Dust frequency data series, and drought variables which include the VHI (vegetation health index), precipitation and temperature data series in long-term and monthly scales have been monitored and compared. And then we used the correlation analysis that indicated the significant proximity between the dust events and droughts/dryness in a yearly scale and also during the warm season (May to Aug). Meantime the derived results from the T-student test for the aforementioned data series confirm the fact that the droughts are parallel to the increasing of dust events from 1996 to 2011 (especially in the recent decade). We found that the recent droughts in the external dust source areas had the remarkable potential to increase the dust events in the west of Iran.展开更多
Iraq is part of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region). It greatly relies in its water resources on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Iraq was considered rich in its water resources till 1970s. After that probl...Iraq is part of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region). It greatly relies in its water resources on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Iraq was considered rich in its water resources till 1970s. After that problems due to water scarcity aroused. Recently, it is expected that water shortage problems will be more serious. The supply and demand are predicted to be 43 and 66.8 Billion Cubic Meters (BCM) respectively in 2015, while in 2025 it will be 17.61 and 77BCM respectively. In addition, future prediction suggests that Tigris and Euphrates Rivers will be completely dry in 2040. To overcome this problem, prudent water management plan is to be adopted. It should include Strategic Water Management Vision, development of irrigation techniques, reduction of water losses, use of non-conventional water resources and research and development planning.展开更多
文摘The Govanda Formation was deposited during the Miocene in the intermontane areas between the Zagros suture and imbricate zones.The Govanda Formation was studied in the Sherwan Mazin area within Mergasor district,Erbil Governorate to identify the lithostratigraphy and microfacies analysis in order to determine the depositional environment of the formation.The formation in the studied section is 116 m thick and mainly consists of reddish-brown,hard,thickbedded,chert-bearing conglomerate,pinkish shale and yellowish-grey,thick-bedded,detrital,fossiliferous limestone.The formation is unconformably underlain by the Upper Cretaceous Tanjero Formation and conformably overlain by the Merga Red Beds series.Four different lithostratigraphic units were identified,based on field observation and petrographic analysis,including a basal conglomerate unit(A),a shale unit(B),a well-bedded limestone unit(C)and a thick and massively-bedded limestone unit(D).The presence of a thick conglomerate bed at the base of the formation indicates a large unconformity that lasted nearly 40 million years.Based on detailed microfacies analysis of carbonate rocks,five main microfacies and 15 submicrofacies are recognized.The main microfacies types include mudstone,wackestone,packstone,grainstone and boundstone microfacies.Based on the microfacies types the depositional environment are defined as open lagoon,reef,fore-reef and back-reef environments of normal to saline,nutrient rich water.
基金Luleå University “Swedish Hydropower Centre-SVC”
文摘Iraq is one of the Middle East and North African countries (MENA region). The country is currently facing a serious water shortage problem. This problem is expected to be more severe in the future where the supply is predicted to be 43 and 17.61 Billion Cubic Meters (BCM) in 2015 and 2025 respectively while current demand is estimated to be between 66.8 and 77 BCM. It has been estimated that the Tigris and Euphrates river discharges will continue to decrease with time, and they will be completely dry by 2040. Serious, prudent and quick measures need to be taken to overcome this problem. The government should take measures to have a strategic water management vision, including regional cooperation and coordination, research and development, improving agriculture and sanitation sector as well as public awareness program. These measures are required in order to address the following topics: Strategic Water Management Vision, Regional cooperation and coordination, Irrigation and Agriculture, Water Supply and Sanitation, and Research and Development.
文摘Water quality of the East Hammar marsh after restoration was assessed by using the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCME WQI).The model was applied in two approaches based on the historical data and the CCME aquatic life guidelines as objectives. Variables included in the index calculation were Water Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, Salinity, pH value, Total Nitrogen, Ammonia, Nitrate, Phosphorus and Sodium. The CCME WQI analysis in both approaches reflected that water quality of the East Hammar marsh is rated as poor based on 2005-2006 data, meaning that the conditions of the marsh are often depart from natural or desirable levels particularly in respect to sodium and nitrogenous compounds;it simply has not recovered yet. The results reflect that the marsh area is still far from the current guideline criteria and, too far from restoration.
基金financially supported by Lulea University of Technology,Sweden and by“Swedish Hydropower Centre—SVC”established by the Swedish Energy Agency,Elforsk and Svenska Kraftnat together with Lulea University of Technology,The Royal Institute of Technology,Chalmers University of Technology and Uppsala University.
文摘Iraq is one of the riparian countries within basins of Tigris-Euphrates Rivers in the Middle East region. The region is currently facing water shortage problems due to the increase of the demand and climate changes. In the present study, average monthly water flow measurements for 15 stream flow gaging stations within basins of these rivers in Iraq with population growth rate data in some of its part were used to evaluate the reality of the current situation and future challenges of water availability and demand in Iraq. The results showed that Iraq receives annually 70.92 km3 of water 45.4 and 25.52 km3 from River Tigris and Euphrates respectively. An amount of 18.04 km3 of the Tigris water comes from Turkey while 27.36 km3 is supplied by its tributaries inside Iraq. The whole amount of water in the Euphrates Rivers comes outside the Iraqi borders. Annual decrease of the water inflow is 0.1335 km3·year-1 for Tigris and 0.245 km3·year-1 for Euphrates. This implies that the annual percentage reduction of inflow rates for the two rivers is 0.294% and 0.960%, respectively. Iraq consumes annually 88.89% (63.05 km3) of incoming water from the two rivers, where about 60.43% and 39.57% are from Rivers Tigris and Euphrates respectively. Water demand increases annually by 1.002 km3, of which 0.5271 km3 and 0.475 km3 are within Tigris and Euphrates basins respectively. The average water demand in 2020 will increase to 42.844 km3·year-1 for Tigris basin and for Euphrates 29.225 km3·year-1 (total 72.069 km3·year-1), while water availability will decrease to 63.46 km3·year-1. This means that the overall water shortage will be restricted to 8.61 km3.
基金supported by Selcuk University Scientific Research Projects(BAP)under Grant no.12201045 for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of Turkey(Konya)
文摘The present work studies the environmental isotopes assess groundwater characteristics of the different parts of the main aquifer in the northeast Missan Province in south of Iraq. Water samples of groundwater and surface water were collected for two dry and wet seasons during the water year of 2011-2012. The study shows that most of the groundwater in the aquifer falls above the global meteoric water line, and all the samples fall below the Mediterranean meteoric water line, indicating that these samples are a mixture of two water types. The tritium content of these samples supports this conclusion. The overall conclusion of this study indicates that there are two sources of groundwater recharge in the studied area： the ephemeral streams （Teeb and Dewerge） and major precipitation sources. According to the tritium levels at or below one tritium unit （TU） obtained from the water, supply wells are highly confined or ＂not vulnerable＂. Overall, the 3^H results imply that recent recharge has taken place during the last four to five decades. In the recharge area, the high tritium content in the southern part of the Teeb area suggests that the recharge originates from rapid infiltration of surface runoff. Therefore, the groundwater resources in the study area should be protected from contamination, because it will influence the aquifer in a relatively short period of time if any contamination enters the recharge areas of the aquifer.
文摘Objective: To investigate the relationship between hepatitis B virus(HBV) positivity and pregnancy outcomes. Also, the association between HBV-related risk factors and HBV status was studied.Methods: A total of 100 HBV positive pregnant women were recruited and the pregnancy outcomes were compared with 301 HBV negative women. Blood samples were collected and tested for HBV by HBs Ag ELISA. Data were collected for recruited subjects using interview questionnaire.Results: Data analysis showed that 51/100(51%) of the HBV-positive subjects gave a history of HBV in the family which was significantly higher than that of HBV-negative patients [41/301(13.6%) P = 0.001]. A significant association was found between positive history of surgery and HBs Ag positivity(P = 0.009). Then, pregnancy outcomes were stratified according to the HBV positivity. No significant association was found between HBV status and pregnancy outcomes(P > 0.05 for all).Conclusions: Positive family history of HBV and previous surgical procedures are associated with higher rate of HBV positivity. No association is found between HBV positivity and pregnancy outcomes.
文摘Indices of Biological Integrity (IBIs) are being increasingly used as useful and direct tools for assessing general health of aquatic ecosystems. Although such ecosystems in Iraq, especially the southern marshes, underwent severe alterations during the last two decades, including extensive desiccation in the 1990s, such tools are largely lacking. Phytoplankton Index of Biological Integrity (P-IBI) was developed from data collected seasonally from 2005 up to 2007 in different sites of the southern marshes of Iraq to evaluate the trend of these ecosystems based on phytoplankton data. Ten metrics were selected for measuring P-IBI for the first time in Iraq as a proposed project from Nature Iraq and Twin Rivers Institute, American University of Iraq-Sulaimani. Although generally fluctuated both spatially and temporally, mean P-IBI scores showed better conditions in Al Hawizeh marsh (Good) as compared to the Central and West & East Al Hammar marshes (Fair to Good). However, the results generally indicated evidence of improvement at the Central and West & East Al Hammar marshes, whereas no recovery of the status of water was evident throughout the data obtained at Al Hawizeh marsh. Values were generally higher in winter. These observations clearly reflect the relative stability of the Hawizeh marsh ecosystem which was not subject to the desiccation process in the 1990s, while the severely dried systems of the Central and Hammar marshes are showing positive responses to the restoration efforts that were started after 2003. Among the ten metrics comprising the index, relative abundance of diatoms had the most prominent effect on the P-IBI value in the three marshes. Metrics such as chlorophyll- a concentration and relative abundance of Cyanophyta and Chlorophyta also played a significant role in determining the index value. Continuous monitoring based on the selection of the most suitable metrics is recommended.
基金Supported by the Al-Basrah University, Iraq, the Geo-information Science and Technology Program ( No IRT 0438)China)
文摘In recent years, land use/cover dynamic change has become a key subject that needs to be dealt with in the study of global environmental change. In this paper, remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) are integrated to monitor, map, and quantify the land use/cover change in the southern part of Iraq (Basrah Province was taken as a case) by using a 1:250 000 mapping scale. Remote sensing and GIS software were used to classify Landsat TM in 1990 and Landsat ETM+ in 2003 imagery into five land use and land cover (LULC) classes: vegetation, sand, urban area, unused land, and water bodies. Supervised classification and normalized difference build-up index (NDBI) were used respectively to retrieve its urban boundary. An accuracy assessment was performed on the 2003 LULC map to determine the reliability of the map. Finally, GIS software was used to quantify and illustrate the various LULC conversions that took place over the 13-year span of time. Results showed that the urban area had increased by the rate of 1.2% per year, with area expansion from 3 299.1 km2 in 1990 to 3 794.9 km2 in 2003. Large vegetation area in the north and southeast were converted into urban construction land. The land use/cover changes of Basrah Province were mainly caused by rapid development of the urban economy and population immigration from the countryside. In addition, the former government policy of "returning farmland to transportation and huge expansion in military camps" was the major driving force for vegetation land change. The paper concludes that remote sensing and GIS can be used to create LULC maps. It also notes that the maps generated can be used to delineate the changes that take place over time.
文摘The study is conducted to estimate the resistance of three soils (EL Hartha clay loam, Barjisiya sandy loam and the soil near the sand dunes in Sheikh sa'ad area sandy soil) to wind erosion, it is also aimed at getting full acquaintance of the relationship between the soil loss and the physical and chemical features of soil. In addition to the experiment of some soil stabilizers, polyacrylamide (PAM) concentration of 0.2 % and crude oil in concentration of 1 % in order to reduce or prevent wind erosion. The study shows that the amendment increased the dry soil aggregate >1 mm, mean weight diameter and soil moisture. It is clear that polyacrylamide had greater effect than that of crude oil, besides the great effectiveness of these amendments in decreasing bulk density and relations of soil loss.
文摘Water Quality Index (WQI) was applied in Dokan Lake, Kurdistan region, Iraq using ten water quality parameters (pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Turbidity, Conductivity, Hardness, Alkalinity, Sodium, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Nitrate and Nitrite). The relative weight assigned to each parameter ranged from 1 to 4 based on the importance of the parameter for aquatic life. The results indicated that water quality of Dokan Lake declined from Good in the years 1978, 1979, 1980, 1999, 2000 and 2008 to Poor in 2009. The impact of various anthropogenic activities was evident on some parameters such as the EC and BOD. It is suggested that monitoring of the lake is necessary for proper management. Application of the WQI is also suggested as a very helpful tool that enables the public and decision makers to evaluate water quality of lakes in Iraq.
基金Supported by the China National Science and Technology Major Project(2017ZX05032004-001)
文摘To reveal the law of oiliness of the Upper Cretaceous carbonate reservoirs in the Middle East and factors controlling the oiliness, the Mishrif Formation of the H oilfield in Iraq was examined comprehensively. Based on core observation and description, casting thin section analysis, and statistics of physical property and pore-throat structure parameter, etc., in combination with previous achievements and understanding, it is pointed out that the coring interval of Mishrif Formation has strong oiliness heterogeneity, and can be divided into 4 grades, oil rich, oil immersed, oil spot, and oil trace; the oil-bearing grade has obvious facies-controlled characteristic in macroscopic view; and in different oil-bearing grades, relatively oil-rich sections present higher karst development intensity, better physical properties and pore-throat structure characteristics. It is concluded through the study that the sedimentary microenvironment and eogenetic karstification determine the macroscopic oiliness of the reservoir in Mishrif Formation of H Oilfield, and the improvement of pore-throat structure caused by eogenetic karstification is the decisive factor of the micro oil-bearing difference of the reservoir. Finally,the genetic model of reservoir development and oil-bearing difference was established.
文摘Iraq is facing water shortage problem despite the presence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. In this research, long rainfall trends up to the year 2099 were studied in Sulaimani city northeast Iraq to give an idea about future prospects. The medium high （A2） and medium low B2 scenarios have been used for purpose of this study as they are more likely than others scenarios, that beside the fact that no climate modeling canter has performed GCM （global climate model） simulations for more than a few emissions scenarios （HadCM3 has only these two scenarios） otherwise pattern scaling can be used for generating different scenarios which entail a huge uncertainty. The results indicate that the average annual rainfall shows a significant downward trend for both A2 and B2 scenarios. In addition, winter projects increase/decrease in the daily rainfall statistics of wet days, the spring season show very slight drop and no change for both scenarios. However, both summer and autumn shows a significant reduction in maximum rainfall value especially in 2080s while the other statistics remain nearly the same. The extremes events are to decrease slightly in 2080s with highest decrease associated with A2 scenario. This is due to the fact that rainfall under scenario A2 is more significant than under scenario B2. The return period of a certain rainfall will increase in the future when a present storm of 20 year could occur once every 43 year in the 2080s. An increase in the frequency of extreme rainfall depends on several factors such as the return period, season of the year, the period considered as well as the emission scenario used.
文摘Countries in Middle East and North Africa (MENA region) are considered as arid and semi-arid areas that are suffering from water scarcity. They are expected to have more water shortages problem due to climatic change. Iraq is located in the Middle East covering an area of 433,970 square kilometers populated by 31 million inhabitants. One of the solutions suggested to overcome water scarcity is Rainwater Harvesting (RWH). In this study Macro rainwater harvesting technique had been tested for future rainfall data that were predicted by two emission scenarios of climatic change (A2 and B2) for the period 2020-2099 at Sulaimaniyah Governorate north east of Iraq. Future volumes of total runoff that might be harvested for different conditions of maximum, average, and minimum future rainfall seasons under both scenarios (A2 and B2) were calculated. The results indicate that the volumes of average harvested runoff will be reduced when average rainfall seasons are considered due to the effect of climatic change on future rainfall. The reduction reached 10.82 % and 43.0% when scenarios A2 and B2 are considered respectively.
基金supported by the Basrah University,Iraq and the Outstanding Doctorate Thesis Foundation of Huazhong University of Science and Technology,the Youth Chenguang Project of Science and Technology of Wuhan City of China (Nos.20015005037 and 20055003059-34)the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province (No.2005ABA047)
文摘This study presents an integrated study of expansion process of salinized land in Basrah Province, a typical salt-affected area in southern parts of Iraq, by using geo-information techniques. Satellite images （Landsat TM 1990） and thematic maps （ETM 2003） were used to provide comprehen- sive views of surface conditions such as vegetation cover and salinization detection. With ERDAS soft- ware, the normalized differential salinity index （NDSI） and salinity index （SI） were computed and then evaluated for soil degradation by salinization. ARC/INFO software was used along with field observa- tion data （global positioning system） for analysis. During the past 13 years, the salinized land in study area increased by 6 579.1 km2 and in 2003 covered 34.5% of the total area; in the meantime, vegetation cover has decreased by 4 595.9 km2 and in 2003 covers only 24.1% of the study area. Environmental changes show that, between 1990 and 2003, 37.5% of vegetation cover and 45.9% of marshlands were transformed into salty meadow and wet salty crust, respectively. In addition, there was 16.6% of sand lands converted into dry puffy salty crust. Results using spatial analysis methods showed that 7 894.9 km2 （41.4%） of land had no risk of environment degradation by soil salinity, 4 595.9 km2 （24.1%） bad slight risk, 4 042.8 km2 （21.2%） had moderate risk, and 2 536.3 km2 （13.3%） of the total land area was at a high risk of environment degradation by soil salinity. In conclusion, the study area was ex- posed to a high risk of soil salinity.
文摘Babylon Governorate covers an area of 5315 km2 with a population that reaches about 1,974,490 inhabitants in the central part of Iraq. Iraq produced 31,000 tons/day solid waste in 2013. The Governorate of Babylon produces annual 483,221 tons of solid waste. Management of collection and disposal of waste in Babylon Governorate is done through open dumping of waste and poor collection process. These sites do not conform to the scientific and environmental criteria applied in the selection of landfill sites. To find out how much solid waste is expected in the future, two methods were used to calculate the population growth in Babylon Governorate to the year 2030. The results showed that the total waste in 2030 will be 761,104 tons and 943055 tons while the cumulated quantity of solid waste expected till 2030 was 12,494,521 tons and 14,095,437 tons according to the first and second methods respectively.
文摘The Middle East (ME) is characterized by its water shortage problem. This region with its arid climate is expected to be the most vulnerable in the world to the potential impacts of climate change. Iraq (located in ME) is seriously experiencing water shortage problem. To overcome this problem rain water harvesting can be used. In this study the applicability of the long-term weather generator model in downscaling daily precipitation Central Iraq is used to project future changes of precipitation based on scenario of seven General Circulation Models (GCMs) outputs for the periods of 2011-2030, 2046-2065, and 2080-2099. The results indicated that December-February and September-November periods, based on the ensemble mean of seven GCMs, showed an increasing trend in the periods considered;however, a decreasing trend can be found in March, April, and May in the future.
文摘Objective: The main objective of the present study is to assess the interrelationship between renal calculi, selected ions, thyroid and parathyroid hormones and urinary tract infections. Methods: This study was carried out on 150 patients attended Tikrit Teaching Hospital from 2008 to 2009. Stones and serum ions were analyzed utilizing relevant Biolab Company kits (France). Thyroid hormones were determined using ELISA microwells kit (Accuubind, USA) Parathyroid hormone was estimated by active I-PTH ELISA (DSL, USA).Urine cultures were done utilizing cystine-lactose- electrolyte deficient (CLED) medium. Various isolated pathogens were conventionally identified. Results: Urine cultures revealed that 42% of the patients had urinary tract infections particularly with Enterobacteriaceae. 68% of the stones tested were calcium oxalate. Infective and noninfective stones were classified. Calcium ion was more elevated in patients examined. Hypothyroidism was prevalent but parathyroid hormone (PTH) was elevated among 14 patients only. Conclusions: The frequency of UTI was higher among urolithiasis patients and the common causative agents were Gram negative bacteria. Renal stones of calcium origin were predominant. Hormonal abnormalities were seen. 15 patients with hyperthyroidism revealed hypercalcemia and hypercalciuria.
文摘Iraq is part of West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region. The area is known as dry land, famous with gap of crop yield as a result of the water shortage problem. Six basins with total catchment area of 614.19 km2 at rain-fed of Northern Sinjar District (Iraq) had been chosen to investigate both of the potential of rainwater harvesting (RWH) and three supplemental irrigation (SI) scenarios S1, S2, and S3 (100%, 75%, and 50% of full irrigation requirement) to support the wheat yield (bread and durum) under various rainfall conditions for the study period 1990-2009. The results indicated that, the total volume of harvested runoff can be considered for irrigation practices, that reached up to 42.4, 25.1, 0.6, 10.9 (× 106 m3) during 1995-1996, 1996-1997, 1998-1999, and 2001-2002, respectively. The total irrigated area ranged between 10.9 - 5163.7 and 8.8 - 3595.7 (ha) for bread and durum wheat crop for the four selected seasons respectively. The yield scenarios for supplemental irrigation condition Y1, Y2, and Y3 give 68 - 9712, 94 - 12,999, and 105 - 22,806 Ton for bread wheat, and for durum wheat give 56 - 8035, 87 - 10,906, and 103 - 17,396 Ton.
文摘The most famous deserts exist in subtropical regions which is the direct outcome of insufficient precipitation and high temperatures. The Middle East deserts are subjected often to dust, which reduces horizontal visibility to 5 km, and sometimes even to less than 100 m. The severe and prolong drought recently afflicting the west Asia region has been suggested to be instrumental in producing an increased output of dust into the atmosphere from the region. Regarding the increasing of dust events over the west of Iran with the external origin in the recent decade (from 2000 to present), so the main dust-source areas over Iraq and Syria have been detected using the dust-source map of the southwest of Asia, satellite images and soil type maps. We considered the relationship between the increasing of dust events in the western of Iran and drought expansion over the main dust-production areas during the recent decade. Dust frequency data series, and drought variables which include the VHI (vegetation health index), precipitation and temperature data series in long-term and monthly scales have been monitored and compared. And then we used the correlation analysis that indicated the significant proximity between the dust events and droughts/dryness in a yearly scale and also during the warm season (May to Aug). Meantime the derived results from the T-student test for the aforementioned data series confirm the fact that the droughts are parallel to the increasing of dust events from 1996 to 2011 (especially in the recent decade). We found that the recent droughts in the external dust source areas had the remarkable potential to increase the dust events in the west of Iran.
文摘Iraq is part of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region). It greatly relies in its water resources on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Iraq was considered rich in its water resources till 1970s. After that problems due to water scarcity aroused. Recently, it is expected that water shortage problems will be more serious. The supply and demand are predicted to be 43 and 66.8 Billion Cubic Meters (BCM) respectively in 2015, while in 2025 it will be 17.61 and 77BCM respectively. In addition, future prediction suggests that Tigris and Euphrates Rivers will be completely dry in 2040. To overcome this problem, prudent water management plan is to be adopted. It should include Strategic Water Management Vision, development of irrigation techniques, reduction of water losses, use of non-conventional water resources and research and development planning.
