TEMPORAL ASSESSMENT OF LAND DEGRADATION IN AL-SHAMIYA, EESTERN AL-ANBAR, USING THE SPECTRAL ESA INDEX FOR DESERTIFICATION
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
The study area is classified as an arid environment with high sensitivity to desertification, characterized by low annual rainfall and prolonged periods of high temperatures. These conditions have led to the degradation of ecological balance and disruption of the relationships among ecosystem components, resulting in noticeable deterioration in soil properties particularly structure and fertility—as well as a decline in vegetation cover density and diversity. The area was selected for its geographical significance within Iraq, as it is located between longitudes (33°18'00" – 33°00'00") East and latitudes (44°57'00" – 43°39'00") North, covering a total area of 56,700.63 hectares.
The study applied the spectral index to evaluate changes in desertification severity over three time periods (2005, 2015, and 2025), with the aim of analyzing the dynamics of land degradation.
The results indicated an increase in the "low-critical" class area by 3.53%, while the "moderate-critical" and "high-critical" classes decreased by 30.32% and 58.3%, respectively. In contrast, the fragile classes (F1, F2, F3) showed an expansion in area. Additionally, the "potential degradation" class (P) recorded a 2.10% increase in 2025 compared to previous years, indicating a continuing intensification of desertification in the region.
Article Details
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Waad Hamid Khalaf, Mohamed Abdel Moneim Hassan (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright and Licensing Policy
Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Research (IJAR) adheres to the highest standards of transparency and integrity in academic publishing. The IJAR follows an Open Access policy to ensure the global exchange of knowledge:
- Ownership of Copyright:
Ø Authors retain full copyright of their work published in the IJAR without any restrictions.
Ø Authors grant the IJAR the "right of first publication" for their work.
- Licensing:
Ø All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution- 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Ø This license allows others to share, adapt, and build upon the work provided the original author and the IJAR are properly credited.
- Self-Archiving Policy:
Ø Authors are encouraged to deposit the version of record (Publisher's PDF) in their institutional repositories or personal websites immediately upon publication, provided that a link to the original DOI is included.
- Originality:
Ø By submitting a manuscript to the IJAR, authors certify that the work is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration by any other journal.
Ø The IJAR does not allow the violations of others’ intellectual property rights, and authors must comply with the requirement to cite all references.