Geomorphic changes of sand dunes in the western Euphrates between Najaf and Nasiriyah using remote sensing

Authors

  • Kamil Hamza Fleifel Al-Assadi , Amir Hadi J. Al Hasnawi

Abstract

Sand dunes represent a sedimentary natural phenomenon formed by combining the
various sediments transported by the wind resulting from the weathering and erosion processes
of the various rocks of the earth and depositing them in different shapes, sizes and areas that
form especially in the desert areas, so sandy dunes west of the Euphrates (study area) are part
of the wind deposits that it covered large parts of Iraq, as it contributed to its formation many
natural factors represented in the quality of rocks, surface nature, climate, water resources, soil
and natural plant and its role in the geomorphic processes of erosion, transport, and
sedimentation. Which led to major changes in the pattern of distribution of these dunes during
the short period of 1972 to 2019, and thus the research aims to uncover the size of the changes
that occurred in the sandy clusters west of the Euphrates between the cities of Najaf and
Nasiriyah, by analyzing the satellite of the American satellite (Landsat 2 mss for 1972 and
Landsat TM7 for 2019) by conducting a non-targeted classification process cover of ground to
find the cover of sandy dunes, using Erdas Imagine V-9.1 and Arc Gis V-10.4 software. Carry
out the analysis and calculate the areas on which these dunes were distributed spatially and
temporally, and then show the size of the changes during the mentioned period, and develop
the necessary solutions to limit those changes that could negatively affect the various
environmental activities

Published

2020-10-03

Issue

Section

Articles