Geodiversity is the variety within abiotic natural elements that include: rocks, minerals, landforms, soil types, and water resources. Recently ecologists and naturalists recognized that there is close relationship between geodiversity and ecosystems. Huwaiza marsh is located south eastern Iraq within Lower Mesopotamian plain. The main rock bed units which crop out north east of the studied area comprises many types of rocks: conglomerate, sandstone, mudstone, siltstone and claystone belong to Bai Hassan, Mukdadiya and Injana Formations. The general elevation of the area ranges around 5 meters (a. s. l.) near the marsh and increase northeast to more than 100 meters (a. s. l.) and the Land forms are: cuesta, oxbow lakes, flood plain, water lake, shallow marshes, mud flats, and sand dunes. Soil (sediments) usually derived from north east rock bed units and from rivers, which are composed of gravel, sand, silt and silty clay. Huwaiza Marsh is provided by water resources from Musharah and Kahlaa distributaries in addition to Al- Teeb and Duwaireeg rivers which enter Al- Sanaf seasonal marsh, then after to Huwaiza Marsh. The later has 1377 km2 during rainy season and 650 km2 during dry season. Geodiversity created diverse ecosystems such as: desert (including sand dune), salt flat (sabkha), mud flats and aqueous ecosystem that provided good flora and fauna diversity of which wide range of plant and animal species use the area. Such geodiversity formed the foundation in creation three main terrestrial ecoregions in this area of Iraq. Huwaiza marsh and adjacent area can be used for scientific researches, education, traditional agricultural, ecotourism and for other sustainable developments. Vertebrate biodiversity comprises 27 mammals, 81 birds, 6 reptiles, 3 amphibians, and 9 freshwater fishes. The characteristic vertebrates of each habitat of Huwaiza marsh were indicated. Of interest among them is the presence of African Darter Anhinga rufa in Deep-water marsh habitat; Basra Reed Warbler Acrocephalus griseldis, Goliath heron Ardea goliath, and smooth coated otter Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli in shallow water marsh habitat.
Huwaiza marsh is considered the largest marsh in the southern part of Iraq. It is located between 31° and 31.75° latitude and extends over the Iraqi-Iranian border; but the largest part lies in Iraq. It is located to the east of Tigris River in Messan and Basra governorates.
In this research, the variation of some water quality parameters at different locations of Huwaiza marsh were studied to find out its efficacy in the treatment of the contamination coming from the wastewater outfall of Kahlaa brokendown sewage treatment plant which lies on the Kahlaa River. This rive is the main feeder of Huwaiza marsh. Ten water quality sampling locations were chosen in this marsh. The water samples were taken during 2009 for three months; Janu
Biodiversity is one of the important biological factors in determining water quality and maintaining the
ecological balance. In this study, there are 223 species of phytoplankton were identified, and they are as
follows: 88 species of Bacillariophyta and were at 44%,70 species of Chlorophyta and they were at 29 %, 39
species of Cyanophyta and they were at 16 %, 12 species of Euglenozoa and they were at 4 %, four species of
Miozoa and they were at 3 %, and, Phylum Charophyta and Ochrophyta were only eight and two species,
respectively and both of them were at 2%. The common phytoplankton recorded in the sites studied
include Nitzschia palea, Scenedesmus quadricauda, Oscillatoria princeps, and Peridinium
A survey conducted at Dalmaj marsh, Al-Diwaniya Province during 2013 revealed that the marsh encounters a considerable part of the Iraqi vertebrate fauna including 147 species belonging to five classes; Pisces, Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves and Mammalia. Some species are of globally conservation importance. The present results are discussed with the pertinent literature.
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 se
... Show MorePolish Academy of Sciences
عانت الغابات في العراق قصوراً واضحاً في مجال إشباع حاجة السكان لمنتجاتها الرئيسية المتمثلة بالأخشاب ومنتجاتها الثانوية المتمثلة بالأغصان والأوراق والنباتات الطبيعية والحيوانات البرية ونواتجها الأخرى، مما يتطلب التفكير بمحاولة إيجاد سبل جديدة لحل هذه المشكلة الاقتصادية المرتبطة بعنصريها الحاجة للأخشاب والأموال المخصصة لتطويرها عموماً.
لقد دمرت مساحات كبيرة من الغابات وحرقت وقطعت من
... Show MoreThe study area is situated in the northern part of the Arabian Plate. The evolution of the Zagros Foreland basin is related to the compressional tectonic system at the beginning of the Tertiary Period.
This study gives an adequate nomenclature for the Oligocene – Early Miocene Sequence is Missan Group. The Buzurgan Oilfield was chosen to represent the stratigraphic column corresponding to that period. These sediments were subdivided into two cycles, where each one ends by a sequence boundary, equivalent to the lowstand siliciclastic residues in the basin center. The first cycle, Paleocene-Oligocene Epoch, was deposited marly limestone with planktonic foraminifera in the basin center during the transgressive and highst
... Show MoreThe fish assemblage structure in Al-Huwaizah marsh, southern of Iraq was assessed. Fish samples collected monthly by different fishing means from period December 2017 to November 2018. A total of 28959 individual of fish belonging to 9 families and 19 species were collected, 11 of them of native species and 8 of alien
species. The numerical dominance index value (D3) of the highest three abundant species comprised 74.26% of the total fish caught, included Planiliza abu (Al-Keshny) 38.2% ; Coptodon zilli (Tilapia red abdomen) 29.41% and Carassius auratus (Prussian carp) 6.65%. The total weight of fish caught 2,190,680 tan, highest weight 312,242kg achieved in July, while lowest weight 41,590 kg found in&nb
Sequence stratigraphic cycle of Cenomanian-early Turonian is composed of (Ahmadi, Rumaila, and Mishrif) formations, which is bounded at top and base by unconformity surfaces. The lithofacies of this cycle in the southern Iraq indicate a normal lateral change facies from shallow water facies through deeper water and open marine sediments, Ahmadi Formation (early Cenomanian) characterized by open marine sediments during the transgressive conditions, and passes up into deep basinal sediments (Rumaila Formation) by conformably surface.
Rumaila Formation (middle Cenomanian) was deposited in the deeper part of the intrashelf basin, which comprises of a mainly basinal sediments, and includes an abundant of open
... Show MoreMishrif Formation is the most important succession in the southern part of Iraq and has extensive distribution in the Arabian Plate. The present study focuses upon the sequence stratigraphy and development of Mishrif Formation basin in four oil fields within the eastern part of the Mesopotamian Zone are:- Halfaya (Hf-1), Noor (No-1) and Abu Ghirab (AG-3) and Fauqi oil fields (Fq-1).
There are several types of microfacies were distinguished in the succession of the Mishrif Formation. Their characteristic of the grain types and carbonate texture enabled to interpret of five facies associations (depositional environments) were observed in this formation, they are: deep ma
... Show More