Dust storms are typical in arid and semi-arid regions such as the Middle East; the frequency and severity of dust storms have grown dramatically in Iraq in recent years. This paper identifies the dust storm sources in Iraq using remotely sensed data from Meteosat-spinning enhanced visible and infrared imager (SEVIRI) bands. Extracted combined satellite images and simulated frontal dust storm trajectories, using the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model, are used to identify the most influential sources in the Middle East and Iraq. Out of 132 dust storms in Iraq during 2020–2023, the most frequent occurred in the spring and summer. A dust source frequency percentage map (DSFPM) is generated using ArcGIS software. The regions located in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Jordan are the largest dust storm sources. New dust sources are identified in Iraq’s southwestern and western regions, such as Al-Nukhaib, Wadi Hauran, and Sinjar, along with new sources in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria. The most common sources are concentrated in Iraq (55.31%), mainly in the Tigris and Euphrates basin, western desert, and Al-Jazeera region, followed by Syria (19.55%), Saudi Arabia (12.29%), and Jordan (11.73%). The highest dust storm source frequency in Iraq is found in the Al- Samawa desert’s southern region (27.37%). Also, the highest frequency of dust sources from each country is determined. Knowing the origins and trajectories of dust storms will enhance treatments of these causes and their consequences on the environment and socio-economics of the region. It contributes to the support of specialised regional agencies to mitigate this phenomenon.
Injana Formation is the most extended geological formation in Salahaddin Governorate/ Iraq. About 10% of the studied area is covered by the outcrops of the formation as a recharge area. The formation is a subsurface within the unsaturated zone in 5% of the total studied area, while it exists within the saturated zone in about 85%; it is a major confined groundwater aquifer. Therefore, the hydrogeological system of the layers needs to be re-evaluated to describe the successions of aquifers and confining layers and their relation with each other.
The lithology, depths, water table, saturated thickness, hydraulic characteristics of the aquifers, and the lateral and vertical variations of these characteristics were adopted to classif
... Show MoreFraxinus ornus L. is considered as a special species that is frequently planted as a decorative tree in most of the country. The cross-sections of the root and stem are circular in shape and in the secondary growth stage, the vascular tissue in the root and stem consists of secondary xylem in radial rows and the type of vessels in the xylem are ring pours wood. Epidermal cells of leaves undulate on the upper and lower side, hairs are uniseriate and unicellular and the stomata appeared in the abaxial surface only is anomocytic type. The vertical-section of blade leaf includes upper epidermis and lower epidermis followed by the palisade layer and spongy layers. The cross-section of petiole horseshoe shape and the vascular bundles are cover
... Show MoreThe current study deals with microfacies and the depositional environment of the Lower Cretaceous Sarmord Formation at selected sections in Sulaimani and Erbil Governorates, northern Iraq. The Sarmord Formation alternates rhythmically between yellowish grey marly limestones and grey black marls. These lithologies are observed in all studied sections of Sarmord Formation in northern Iraq. Petrographic investigation of this study based on 240 thin sections demonstrated that the carbonate constituents are mainly composed of skeletal and non-skeletal grains. The skeletal grains include a variety of foraminiferas (planktonic and benthonic), bioclasts, calcispheres, ostracods, radiolaria, echinoderms, sponge spicules, ammonoids and be
... Show MoreThe CenomanianÐEarly Turonian reservoirs of the Mishrif Formation of the Mesopotamian Basin hold more than one-third of the proven Iraqi oil reserves. Difficulty in predicting the presence of these mostly rudistic reservoir units is mainly due to the complex paleogeography of the Mishrif depositional basin, which has not been helped by numerous previous studies using differing facies schemes over local areas. Here we present a regional microfacies-based study that incorporates earlier data into a comprehensive facies model. This shows that extensive accumulation of rudist banks usually occurred along an exterior shelf margin of the basin along an axis that runs from Hamrin to Badra a
There are many applied Economic studies that have found positive nexus between financial development and poverty reduction in developing countries. Iraq has witnessed an increasing rate of poverty during the period 1980-2010 due to many internal and external factors such as wars, economic sanctions, inflation, a high rate of unemployment, and political and security instability. Therefore, the investigation about the solutions to reduce poverty becomes very necessary, and enhancing the financial development in Iraq is one of these options. This is due to that the financial development could reduce the poverty rates through two channels: the first is direct via the offering of the loans and other financial facilities to the poor, a
... Show MoreThis paper deals with a preliminary survey helminth parasites of the black partridge. Francolinus francolinus arabistanicus in Baghdad area, middle of Iraq. It was found that the bird was infected with the cestodes Cotugnia digonopora and Raillietina tetragona with infection rates of 61.9% and 4.8% respectively, and the nematodes Heterakis gallinarum and Paroneoccrca rouss-lotti with infection rates of 4.8% and 19% respectively. Some important measurements, distribution and occurrence according host-sex of each parasite were provided along with some remarks on parasites biology.
The current study included a detail morphological study of all parts of the species Ipomoea carnea Jacq. (Convolvulaceae) cultivated in different gardens, the roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruit were studied in detail, also the pollen grains were studied and there are photographs for all the parts were putted.
The present study is concerned with Biostratigraphy of the Early-Middle Miocene outcrops of Jeribe Formation in the Zurbatiyah area, Wasit Governorate, Eastern Iraq. Forty-two Samples collected from Shur Sharin and AL-Hashima outcrop sections. The fossil content is rich in large and small benthic foraminifera; Twenty-one species and genus are identified in this study, in addition to coral, gastropoda, pelecypoda, ostracoda, alge, echinoid and shell fragments. According to the presence of benthic foraminifera, two Biozone have been identified in the Jeribe: Austrotrillina asmariensis-Dendritina rangi Concurrent Zone and Borelis melo curdica range zone.The age of the Formation determined as Early-Middle Miocene depending on these Bioz
... Show MoreThe present paper attempts to establish a distinction between Exochomus negripennis (Er.) and E. quadripustulatus L., depending on the characters of femoral line, male genitalia and spermatheca.