Anthropogenic activities cause soil pollution with different serious pollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) compounds. This study assessed the contamination of PAHs in soil samples collected from 30 sites divided into eight groups (residential areas, oil areas, agricultural areas, roads, petrol stations, power plants, public parks and electrical generators) in Basrah city-Iraq during 2019-2020. The soil characteristics including (moisture, pH, EC and TOC) were measured. Results showed the following ranges (soil moisture (0.03-0.18%),pH (6.90-8.16), EC (2.48-104.80) mS/cm and TOC (9.90-20.50%)). Gas Chromatography (GC) was used to measure PAHs in extracted soil samples. The total PAH range (499.96 - 5864.86) ng/g dry weight (DW). The most dominant percentage of PAHs in (residential areas, oil areas, agricultural areas, roads, petrol stations, power plants, public parks and electrical generators) in dry season were (BghiP 36% , Chy 29% ,BkF 26% , BaP 18% ,BghiP 27% , InP 40% , BbF 19% and BbF 12%) respectively, while in wet season the most dominant PAHs were (Pyr 22% , BbF 16%, BkF 32% , BbF 36% , BkF 38% , Pyr 26% , BbF 43% and Pyr 35%) respectively. According to some calculated ratios, the sources of PAHs in Basrah soil were mixed between petrogenic and pyrogenic origins. The soil is classified from weakly to heavily contaminated with PAHs.
In 2010, the tomato leaf miner Tuta absoluta (Meyrick, 1917) was reported for the first time in Iraq. The larvae can feed on all parts of tomato plants and can damage all the growth stages. The main host plant is tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum, but it can also attack other plants in Solanaceae family. In this study it was found attacking alfalfa plants, Medicago sativa in Baghdad Province. This finding reveals that alfalfa also serves as a host plant for T. absoluta in Iraq.
This study was carried out from February to October 2012 in six semi salty ponds in Gwer sub-district which is the first work in the area. A total of 32 species and 2 genera of algae where reported as the new records. Mostly the non diatoms are belonging to Cyanophyta, Chlorophyta, Euglenophyta, Cryptophyta, Chrysophyceae, while diatoms or Bacilariophyceae are belong to pennals- order.
Phytoplankton community is a model for of monitoring aquatic systems and interpreting the environmental change in aquatic systems. The present study aimed to forecast environmental parameters that drive the change of phytoplankton community structure in the lake. The present study was carried out in Baghdad Tourist Island Lake (BTIL) for the period From October 2021 to May 2022. The study included the quality and quantity of phytoplankton, moreover, the highest and lowest value of the physical and chemical parameters were (Water temperature (13-30 °C), Light penetration (94-275cm), electric conductivity (837-1128 µS/cm), salinity (0.5-0.7 ‰), pH (7-8.2), total alkalinity (126-226 mg CaCO3/L), total Hardness (297-395 mg CaCO3/L
... Show MoreThe toxicological risks and lifetime cancer risks associated with exposure to disinfection by-products (DBPs) including Halloacetic acids (HAAs) and trihalomethanes (THMs) compounds by drinking water in several districts in Wassit Province were estimated. The seasonal variation of HAAs and THMs compounds in drinking water have indicated that the mean values for total HAAs (THAAs) and total THMs (TTHMs) ranged from 43.2 to 72.4 mg/l and from 40 to 115.5 mg/l, respectively. The World health organization index for additive toxicity approach was non-compliant with the WHO guideline value in summer and autumn seasons and this means that THMs concentration has adverse toxic health effects. The multi-pathway of lifetime hu
... Show MoreThe fauna of bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) from different regions of Iraq is surveyed in this study; there were 16 species, 13 genera that belong to four families which are collected in this investigation.
Also, all the species that are recorded for Iraq in previous investigations are revised; totally there are 110 species, 32 genera belonging to five families: Apidae, Andernidae, Colletidae, Halictidae and Megachilidae were listed.
Electricity consumption for household purposes in urban areas widely affects the general urban consumption compared to other commercial and industrial uses, as household electricity consumption is affected by many factors related to the physical aspects of the residential area such as temperature, housing unit area, and coverage ratio, as well as social and economic factors such as family size and income, to reach the extent of the influence of each of the above factors on the amount of electricity consumed for residential uses, a selected sample of a residential area in the city of Baghdad was studied and a field survey conducted of the characteristics of that sample and the results analyzed and modeled statistically in relation to the amo
... Show MoreThis work includes a detailed description of the Leucostoma nigricorpuris sp. nov. from
Iraq. Locality, host plants and data of collection were given.
One eighth of the bird species in the world is considered globally threatened; the avifauna of Iraq comprises 409 species and is considered as the major indicator of the health of Iraq’s biological resources. The Iraqi geography falls into five main regions among which is the desert and semi-desert areas which cover much of the country area. Al-Najaf desert is still one of the poorly known regions from the biodiversity point of view. Birds of conservation concern are detected in Al-Najaf desert during 31 field trips to 20 sites conducted from August 2018 to April 2020, (citing literature records, and personal interviews with locals).The factors caused the bird numbers to decline in Al-Najaf desert include hunting and trapping, logging,
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