Stable isotope composition of δ2H and δ18O was investigated in the water resources of the Shwan sub-Basin northeast of Iraq. The study objects conceived the possible factors that affect the stable isotopes’ composition in precipitation additionally to achieve information concerning recharge processes and estimate the groundwater recharge sources. In this study, four precipitation samples were collected at the study area for the 2020–2021 hydrological year. Thirty-two groundwater samples and one surface water sample from Lesser Zab River (LZR) were collected during the same period for two sampling seasons. The results of observed meteorological data show a very small amount of precipitation for the sampling year. This year is considered a dry hydrological year with total annual precipitation of 100.62 mm compared with the previous 40 hydrological years with total annual precipitation of 325.43 mm. The isotopic composition in precipitation was highly varied as it primarily depends on environmental conditions. The depleted values are recognized with the increasing precipitation amount, whereas the enriched values were the most affected by evaporation. Back trajectory analysis revealed that stable isotopes in precipitation are primarily influenced by air masses and moisture sources. The sources of the trajectory that came from the Mediterranean Sea, Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea would lead to variations in the values of precipitation stable isotope. Stable isotope values in groundwater showed that the samples for both periods are located between the East Mediterranean water line (EMWL) and global meteoric water line (GMWL) close to the local meteoric water line (LMWL) indicating that the groundwater recharge is mainly through precipitation. Groundwater recharges by an indirect recharge mechanism from the LZR, based on stable isotope similarity between depleted stable isotopes in groundwater and river water. The estimated groundwater recharge based on weighted oxygen isotopes is about 9.2% of annual rainfall infers that the recharge during the sampling year was very low. The low recharge value experiences dry weather conditions from low precipitation amounts besides increasing evaporation during the current study.
Groundwater recharge estimation is essential for management of groundwater systems. As groundwater is a vital source of water for domestic and agricultural activities in the study area (Karbala - Najaf plateau), where the Dibdibba aquifer represents the primary and essential aquifer, evaluation of groundwater recharge is critical in the study area. A wide range of methodologies exists for estimating recharge. The water-table fluctuation method strategy might be the most generally utilized system for estimating recharge; it requires learning of changes in water levels over time and specific yield. Advantages of this approach include its simplicity and an insensitivity to the mechanism by which water moves through the unsatu
... Show MoreTwenty-five groundwater samples from the Al-Zubair area, southern Iraq, were analyzed for physical and chemical variables. The study showed that the groundwater is of acidic type and in it tends towards light alkalinity. Both electrical conductivity and the total dissolved solids showed increased concentrations of sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium and sulfate, chloride, bicarbonate, and nitrate. The hydrochemical formula for most groundwater wells are (Ca-Cl), (Ca-SO4), (Mg-SO4), and (Na-Cl) type due to the high concentrations of these ions in the water., it was found that this water is not suitable for human drinking. Due to its high salinity compared to the requirements of international standard and Iraqi standa
... Show MoreIraq within the ranks of the fledgling communities characterized by a broad base of the population pyramid, because they pose the age group (under 15 years) of a large proportion of the community, as it exceeded the proportion (40%) during the years of research extended (1986-2010) Despite the relative decline in the rates fertility during that period, but the proportion of young people remained high, especially for groups of at least five years, amounting to about 14% in 2012, a little more than the proportion of what constitutes age group (5-9 above) years, where it was (13%) and this naturally predicts continuing population increases in coming decades, due to the entry of those numbers of individuals in the reproductive stage,
... Show MoreThis study was conducted to evaluate the effects of Tharthar Arm on the composition and diversity of Rotifera in Tigris River. Six sampling sites were selected, two on Tharthar Arm and four along the Tigris River, one before the confluence as a control site and the others downstream of the confluence. Seventy-seven species of Rotifera were identified in Tigris, whereas, 60 in the arm. The results showed that low density of Rotifera in Tharthr Arm decreased the density in Tigris from 239812.4 upstream of the confluence to 223315.5 at immediate downstream of the confluence. It also declined the mean values of richness, evenness and Shannon diversity indices from 5.19, 0.69 and 2.14 bit/Ind., before the confluence to 3.97, 0.73 a
... Show MoreIn this manuscript, the effect of substituting strontium with barium on the structural properties of Tl0.8Ni0.2Sr2-xBrxCa2Cu3O9-δcompound with x= 0, 0.2, 0.4, have been studied. Samples were prepared using solid state reaction technique, suitable oxides alternatives of Pb2O3, CaO, BaO and CuO with 99.99% purity as raw materials and then mixed. They were prepared in the form of discs with a diameter of 1.5 cm and a thickness of (0.2-0.3) cm under pressures 7 tons / cm2, and the samples were sintered at a constant temperature o
... Show MoreThe Paleocene-Early Eocene sequence is represented by Aliji and Umm Er Radhuma formations, while the Middle-Late Eocene sequence is represented by Jaddala and Dammam formations. The Rus Formation has been described and its basin was analyzed separately because it was deposited during the regression period (Middle Eocene), which is a transitional period between these two cycles.
This study includes analysis of the geohistory of this succession, interpretation of the changes of the accumulation, and calculation of subsidence rates. The results were compared with the space available to explain the basin development. The study site included the boreholes of Garraf-84 and 92, Halfaya-1, Nasirya-13 and 40, and Noor-5 at th
... Show MoreIn the present study, radon gas concentration in the shallow groundwater samples of the Abu-Jir region in Anbar governorate was measured by using Rad-7 detector. The highest radon gas level in the samples is up to 9.3 Bq/L, while the lowest level is 2.1 Bq/L, with an average of 6.44±1.8 Bq/L. The annual effective dose is varied from 33.945 μSv/y to 7.66 μSv/y, with an average of 0.145±0.06 μSv/y. Consequently, the radon level in the groundwater studied is lower than the standard recommended value (11 Bq/L) reported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The potential source of radon is uranium-rich hydrocarbons that are leakage to the surface along the Abu-Jir Fault. This research did not indicate any ris
... Show MoreDate palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is one of the world’s oldest cultivated fruit crops and belongs to the Arecaceae family. It originated in Mesopotamia (Iraq) in 4000 BC. Large areas of palm groves in Iraq produce various types of dates for internal consumption and export. Their cultivation has spread and has become a significant crop in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, and the Middle East. Date fruits are widely consumed in Iraq, and radiological monitoring of this crop is necessary as activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs were measured in 12 soil samples and 12 date samples from