Ecosystems provide humans with services that include benefits from food, fresh water, climate regulation, and socio-economic assets. The Mesopotamian marshlands are among the largest wetlands in the Middle East and they provide various benefits. However, ecosystem services of the Marshlands are consistently undervalued in national economic analysis and decision making. This study focusses on the Central Marshes, the first National Park in Iraq, and is the first attempt at valuing a series of ecosystem services from a valuable natural ecosystem in Iraq. We adopted the Toolkit for Ecosystem Services Site-Based Assessment (TESSA) for the determination of biophysical and economic values of services at the site level. Data on key ecosystem services (as determined by 30 interviews with residents of the Marshes) included the trading of fish, harvested plants, water buffalo milk, and fodder were collected across six months in 2014. We valued the ecosystem services within the CM (40,000 ha) over a 6-month period to have a total value of 860,078.23 USD. This estimated total value was the sum of 86,637.25 USD from harvested plants, 551,334.80 USD from trading fish, 167, 303.70 USD from trading water buffalo milk, and 54,804.00 USD from trading fodder. The average income per individual in Iraq in 2014 was 6720 USD (World Bank data - https://data.worldbank.org/country/iraq): thus, the CM provided an average salary for 256 people. Our results provided greater understanding of the ecosystem services contributed by the Central Marshes and has highlighted the crucial role of nature in supporting sustainable well-being for humans living in the area. In addition, the results can be used to enhance local policy, to aid management plans of the National park, and to estimate lost and damage that could result from impact of climate change on the area.
Gypsiferous soil deposits (Gypcrete) are weakly consolidate earthy mixture of secondary gypsum, sand and clay. It is formed in arid and semi- arid area with annual precipitation rainfall less than 400mm. These sediments occur in surface and subsurface in region of little rainfall and rapid evaporation. This research deals with the study of gypcrete in Alexandria to improve the mineralogical and geochemical properties of the gypcrete. The gypcrete soil is used as raw material to produce the plaster for building purposes. Three samples of gypcrete were chemically and geochemically analyzed. The common mineral is howed in 0-0.5m Gypsum followed by Calcite in 0-1m and Quartz in 1-1.5m due to leaching and infiltration by rainfall as well as it
... Show MoreThe Tamarix aphylla is a wild perennial shrub with erect stems that are long and glabrous. They have leaves that are simple, alternate, sheathed, and the apex of the blade is acuminate. And a scaly clawed bract and the the inflorescences were simple, spike-like. The pistil consists of ovary pyramidal, 3 styles, and 3 stigmas. The androecium consists of five stamens that are antisepalous. The perianth was distinct with five sepals and five petals. The fruits were capsule-shaped, pyramidal, and smooth. The seed has an apical pappus of unicellular hygroscopic hairs; endosperm is absent. The anatomical study of the leaves contained a uniseriate epidermis consisting of one layer of elongated cells covered by a layer of papillary cuti
... Show MoreThe current study included interpretations of the three-dimensional seismic survey data of the Najaf-Karbala region, which was recently implemented by the Fifth Amphibious Seismic crew of the Oil Exploration Company for the period from 30/1/2016 to 13/10/2017. The total area planned to be covered by the three-dimensional survey program was about (3340 km ²). The Zubair reflector was picked, interpreted, and tracked within the region. The faults affecting this reflector were captured. The reflector's temporal, velocity, and depth maps showed the presence of structural closure features in the southeast of the region and extensions to the structural noses to the northwest of the study area. The structural maps showed a general ten
... Show MoreThe study area intendes for agricultural investment and establishment stations of water pumping for human use to the nearby areas, southwest of Samawah city. Twelve Two-Dimension (2-D) survey points were performed by using Wenner-Schlumberger array configuration to take the measurements. The inverse models of two survey point appear the effect of the saline groundwater that raises from Rus Formation, which caused a significant reduction in resistivity of the groundwater-bearing zone within middle Dammam Formation along the fault plane.
The Turonian-Lower Companian succession at Majnoon Oil Field is represented by the Khasib, Tanuma, and Saadi formations. Four major paleoenvironments were recognized within the studied succession, there are: Shallow open marine environment, shoal environment, deep marine environment, and basinal environment. They reflect deposition on a carbonate platform of homoclinal ramp setting. The studied succession represents two second order supersequences (A) and (B). Supersequence (A) includes both the Khasib and Tanuma formations. The Saadi Formation represents cycle (B). These second order cycles can be divided each into two third order cycles, This subdivision may reflect the effect of eustacy being the major controlling factor of cycles dev
... Show MoreDujaila River is one of the Tigris River branches, its length is 69.45 km, 15 m width and 2.80 m depth, and discharge rate is 42.15m3/Sec. The river provides the water share for 396 thousand Acres.
The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the suitability of water resources, for various purposes in the Dujaila River, Wasit Governorate-central Iraq. Physical and chemical properties have been investigated for 9 surface samples of the period August 2015- March 2016. The tests have been taken for the water major ions, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity and acidity . Results indicated that the river water is classified as fresh water, according to the total dissolved solid (TDS), which its value ranges between (665-68
The central bank is the financial director of the economic system of all countries of the world, which is considered the main official of the monetary and monetary policy in it and seeks to control the offer of money and its value in the issuance of currencies and the setting of interest rates, and this role is essential for both money and credit, The main artery of modern economic systems. If money and credit rise very quickly, commercial companies may not be able to meet the requirements of increased production.
Thus, central banks perform similar functions throughout the world today with the aim of achieving the public good, but the exercise of these functions varies from one economic environment to an
... Show MoreThe aim of the research is to demonstrate the concept, characteristics, efficiency and adequacy of infrastructure in Khor Al-Zubair, as it represents an important benchmark for judging the development of the city. The researchers thus aim to measure the efficiency, adequacy and personal impression of each service in Khor Al-Zubair city and its residential neighborhoods. To meet this objective, the researchers used the descriptive and analytical approach that involves randomly distributing a questionnaire with specific questions to the neighbors of the city. The study has reached a set of results and recommendations that contribute to addressing the problems to the sector of infrastructure services in the city, such as: the per capita sha
... Show MoreA total of 28 birds were examined to investigate about the distribution of the nematode Hadjelia truncata among some members of the avian family Columbidae in Al-Diwaniya Province, Central Iraq. The percentages of the infection rate with this nematode were 27.27, 37.5, 14.28 and 0 in Columba livia, C. palumbis, Streptopelia decaocto, and S. turtur respectively. Reporting Hadjelia truncata from Streptopelia decaocto constitutes a new host record.