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, invasive species, and climate change.
Nine birds are found threatened with 3 EN and 6 VU comprising Saker Falcon Falco cherrug Gray, 1834 (Falconidae, Falconiformes), Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus Linnaeus, 1766 (Falconidae, Falconiformes), Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis Hodgson, 1833 (Accipitridae, Accipitriformes), Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Accipitridae, Accipitriformes), Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga (Pallas, 1811) (Accipitridae, Accipitriformes), Marbled Teal Marmaronetta angustirostris (Ménétrés, 1832) (Anatidae, Anseriformes), Macqueen's Bustard Chlamydotis macqueeni (Gray, 1834) (Otididae, Otidiformes), Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur (Linnaeus, 1758) (Columbidae, Columbiformes), and Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis aucheri Bonaparte, 1853 (Laniidae, Passeriformes). It is concluded that Al-Najaf desert is a region of top priority area for biodiversity conservation as it hosts large number of threatened bird species.
Prediction of the formation of pore and fracture pressure before constructing a drilling wells program are a crucial since it helps to prevent several drilling operations issues including lost circulation, kick, pipe sticking, blowout, and other issues. IP (Interactive Petrophysics) software is used to calculate and measure pore and fracture pressure. Eaton method, Matthews and Kelly, Modified Eaton, and Barker and Wood equations are used to calculate fracture pressure, whereas only Eaton method is used to measure pore pressure. These approaches are based on log data obtained from six wells, three from the north dome; BUCN-52, BUCN-51, BUCN-43 and the other from the south dome; BUCS-49, BUCS-48, BUCS-47. Along with the overburden pressur
... Show MoreForm of investment in infrastructure important factor to drive economic growth in any country, with the dwindling ability of governments to provide the necessary funds for such investments, emerged as a rising trend for private sector involvement in public projects and infrastructure, and one of these trends is the build-operate-transfer system (BOT), which commonly used in various developed and developing countries as one of the tools used in the implementation of these investments, as the private sector under this system design, finance, build and operate the project, and are re-administration of the state after a certain period under a contractual agreement between the parties of the contract. As this system provides majo
... Show MoreUrban land price is the primary indicator of land development in urban areas. Land prices in holly cities have rapidly increased due to tourism and religious activities. Public agencies are usually facing challenges in managing land prices in religious areas. Therefore, they require developed models or tools to understand land prices within religious cities. Predicting land prices can efficiently retain future management and develop urban lands within religious cities. This study proposed a new methodology to predict urban land prices within holy cities. The methodology is based on two models, Linear Regression (LR) and Support Vector Regression (SVR), and nine variables (land price, land area,
... Show MoreThe most significant water supply, which is the basis of agriculture, industry and human and wildlife needs, is the river. In order to determine its suitability for drinking purposes, this study aims to measure the Water Quality Index (WQI) of the Tigris River in the Salah Al-Din Province (center of Tikrit), north of Baghdad. For ten (9) physio-chemical parameters, namely turbidity, total suspended sediments, PH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, alkalinity, chloride, nitrogen as nitrate, sulphate, and then transported for examination to the laboratory, water samples were collected from 13 locations along the Tigris river. Using the weighted arithmetic index method, the WQI was measured and found to be 105,87 in up-stream, wh
... Show MoreVariation in the numbers of pectoral fin spines and rays, pelvic fin rays, gill rakers on the first gill arch, anal fin rays, and the number of vertebrae of Silurus triostegus Heckel were examined in specimens from 16 localities that span its entire distribution range in the Tigris, Euphrates, and Shatt al-Arab rivers in Iraq. The mean number of the six meristic traits increases toward high latitudes with maximum and minimum values in the north and south of Iraq. Based on cluster analysis and PCA, the Mesopotamian river samples were clearly separated into three distinct groups. The upper Tigris populations were isolated from those of the middle and southern populations of this river and from those of
water quality assessment is still being done at specific locations of major concern. The use of Geographical Information System (GIS) based water quality information system and spatial analysis with Inverse Distance Weighted interpolation enabled the mapping of water quality indicators along Tigris river in Salah Al-Din government, Iraq. Water quality indicators were monitored by taking 13 river samples from different locations along the river during Winter season year 2020. Maps of 10 water quality indicators. This meant that the specific water quality indicator and diffuse pollution characteristics in the basin were better illustrated with the variations displayed along the course of the river than conventional line graphs. Creation of
... Show MoreEnvironmental exposures to lead remain a serious problem in the developing and industrializing countries. Children are the highest risk aged-group for lead poisoning. This study was designed to assess lead exposure in Al-Fallujah city by analyzing blood lead levels in children and adults and to explain the relationship between blood lead levels, hematological parameters and ferritin levels in the children. The study was performed on-(90) subjects, (65children and 25 adults).Venous blood samples were taken for estimation of hematological parameters, serum ferritin levels and blood lead levels. The children group was subdivided into four groups as: group (A) (low ferritin, low Hb), group (B) (low ferritin, normal Hb), group (C) (normal fer
... Show MoreThe personality of the hero Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi (may God have mercy on him) came from the womb of jihad after difficult travails that the Arab Islamic nation experienced through the jihad of its loyal and honest sons who vowed themselves to God in defense of his religion and law, so between 490 AH - 540 AH outstanding jihadi leaders emerged who took upon themselves the responsibility of jihad and mobilizing the nation's energies To fight its enemies - the Franks, the Crusaders - in the Levant, and those leaders succeeded in achieving impressive victories over the Frankish military effort and regained some cities that were usurped by the Franks. Balak bin Bahram, Suqman, and Jakarmish, but these leaders could not maintain a state of un
... Show MoreThe Eurasian marsh frog Pelophylax ridibundus is a widespread species in Iraq. Examination of intestine of 25 marsh frogs collected in Al-Diwaniya city, middle of Iraq during the period from September to November 2014 revealed the presence of Nematotaenia dispar (Cestoda), Cosmocerca commutata and Cosmocercoides variabilis (Nematoda). Infection rates and intensity have been presented in this paper.