MONITORING HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATIC CHANGES IN THE EASTERN EUPHRATES PROJECT USING GEOSPATIAL TECHNIQUE

Authors

  • Nareman Ali Kadhum Department of Soil Sciences and Water Resources, College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
  • Alaa Salih Ati Department of Soil Sciences and Water Resources, College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1003-4314

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36103/vnzd0w45

Keywords:

geospatial analysis, LST, NDWI, remote sensing

Abstract

The study area is geographically located in Basra Governorate, on the left bank of the Euphrates River, extending west from Al-Madina District to the Al-Sabbaghia River in the west. It is bordered by the Euphrates River to the south and the administrative boundaries of Maysan Governorate to the north. It lies within the administrative boundaries of Basra Governorate, between latitudes 35°38'48"and 33°34'55"North and longitudes 42°55'41"and 43°40'53"East. The study area is 17 km long and between 6 and 9 km wide, with a total area of ​​57,000 dunams. The results analyze changes in land cover over 23 years (2002-2025) using the Natural Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Soil Moisture Index (NDWI) (using multiple remote sensing indices), and the Land Surface Temperature Index (LST). The results highlight significant changes in vegetation cover and water bodies. Data showing the difference between the two years indicate a sharp increase in the percentage of land classified as non-vegetated (NDVI 0), with its percentage in the change reaching [amount missing in original text]. 64.09% of the total studied area, a clear indication of the local ecosystem's exposure to significant vegetation degradation. A comparison of NDWI data from 2002 and 2025 reveals substantial spatial and temporal changes in the distribution of surface moisture and water resources within the study area. The percentage of areas classified as water (0.630824 km² in 2002 to 44.52123 km² in 2025) increased from 0.448382% (0.630824 km² in 2002 to 44.52123 km² in 2025).

Received: 16/4/2025

Accepted: 13/7/2025

Published: 30/9/2026

References

Abbass, K., M. Qasim, & H. A.Song. 2022. review of the global climate change impacts, adaptation, and sustainable mitigation measures. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 42539–42559.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19718-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19718-6

Ayada, A. D., S. S., Majeed, & A. S., Ati. 2024. Impact of future climate change on land and water productivity for wheat crop (Wasit Governorate, Iraq). Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences, 22(1):31-41. https://doi.org/10.22124/cjes.2023.7335

Barrile, V., C. Gattuso, & E. Genovese. 2024. Review of geomatics solutions for protecting cultural heritage in response to climate change. Heritage, 7(12):7031-7049. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7120325. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage7120325

FAO. 2021. Drought and Water Scarcity in the Near East: Trends and Impacts. FAO Water Reports.

https://doi.org/10.4060/cb4477en-fig09. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4060/cb4477en-fig09

Gao, B.C. 1996. NDWI – A normalized difference water index for remote sensing of vegetation liquid water from space. Remote Sensing of Environment, 58(3): 257–266. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(96)00067-3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(96)00067-3

Gao, Gao, B. C. 1995. Retrieval of equivalent water thickness and information related to biochemical components of vegetation canopies for AVIRIS data. https://doi.org/10.1016/0034-4257(95)00039-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0034-4257(95)00039-4

Hu, X.,Z. Li, & Y. Wang. 2021. Vegetation degradation and its impact on soil properties in arid regions: NDVI-based assessment. Ecological Indicators, 126, 107629.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107629. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107629

Huete, A. R. 1988. A soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI). Remote sensing of environment, 25(3): 295-309.‏

https://doi.org/10.1016/0034-4257(88)90106-X DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0034-4257(88)90106-X

Hulley, G. C., D. Ghent, F. Göttsche, P.Guillevic, D. Mildrexler, & C. Coll. 2019. Land surface temperature. In Taking the Temperature of the Earth pp: 57-127. Elsevier.‏

https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-814458-9.00003-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-814458-9.00003-4

IPCC, 2021. Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available at https://doi.org/ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1.

Khalid, A., & Y. Zhou. 2021. Monitoring vegetation recovery using SAVI and rainfall correlation in arid ecosystems. Ecological Indicators, 121, 107091.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.107091. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.107091

McFeeters, S. K. 2022. Remote sensing of land change: A multifaceted perspective. Remote Sensing of Environment,270,112857. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2021.112857

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2022.112857.

Muhammad, M. K., & Y. Hassan. 2018. Using the analysis tool (NDVI) In monitoring and controlling the deterioration of vegetation cover due to desertification in the Shirqat district. Journal of Tikrit University for Humanities, 25(5): 417–451. https://doi.org/10.25130/jtuh.25.5.2018.13 DOI: https://doi.org/10.25130/jtuh.25.5.2018.13

Nigussie, Z. 2024. The effect of climate change on soil health: A Review. International Journal of Energy and Environmental Science, 9(3): 52-58.

https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijees.20240903.11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijees.20240903.11

Pan, Y., Y. Li, & X. Zhao. 2020. Effects of vegetation loss on soil thermal and hydrological properties in semi-arid regions. Soil and Tillage Research, 199, 104576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2020.104576. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2020.104576

Peng, S., S. Piao, and Z. Zeng. 2022. Surface urban heat island across 419 global big cities. Environmental Research Letters, 17(5), 054003.

https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab7667. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab7667

Reinsch, S., D. Robinson, D. van Soest, J. Keith, A. M. Parry, & A. Tye. 2024. Temperate soils exposed to drought—key processes, impacts, Indicators, and Unknowns.

Land, 13(11):pp 1759.

https://doi.org/10.3390/land13111759 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/land13111759

Rogers, A. S., & M.S. Kearney. 2004. reducing signature variabil ity in unmixing coastal marsh Thematic Mapper scenes using spectral indices, Int.J. Remote Sensing, 25(12), 2317-2335. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01431160310001618103 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01431160310001618103

Sharma, S., J. Beslity, L. Rustad, L. Shelby, P. Manos, P. Khanal, A. Reinmann, & C.Khanal. 2024. Remote sensing and GIS in natural resource management: comparing tools and emphasizing the importance of in-Situ Data. Remote Sensing, 16(22):pp 4161.

https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16224161. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16224161

Sobrino, J. A., J. C. Jiménez-Muñoz, & L. Paolini. 2011. Land surface temperature retrieval from LANDSAT TM 5. Remote Sensing of Environment, 90(4): 434–440. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2004.02.003. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2004.02.003

Sun, Z., Li, J., & F. Chen. 2020. Land use impacts on surface moisture using NDWI trends in arid regions. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 24(11): 5671–5684. https://doi.org/10.1099/ijsem.0.004460. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1099/ijsem.0.004460

Telo da Gama, J. 2023. The Role of Soils in Sustainability, Climate Change, and Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities. Ecologies, 4(3): 552-567.

https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies4030036. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies4030036

Tsendbazar, N. E., & A. Vrieling. 2021. Assessing NDWI sensitivity to soil moisture in drylands. Remote Sensing of Environment, 254, 112271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2020.112271. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2020.112271

Tucker, C.J. 1980. Remote Sensing of Leaf Water Content in the Near Infrared. Remote Sensing of Envi ronment 10: 23-32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0034-4257(80)90096-6

USGS/EROS. 2021. LSDS-2349 Landsat 4-9 Collection 2 Level 3 Provisional Actual Evapotranspiration Product Guide https://www.usgs.gov/media/files/landsat-4-9- collection-2-level-3-provisional-actual-evapotranspiration-product-guide

Xu, H. 2006. Modification of normalised difference water index (MNDWI) to enhance open water features in remotely sensed imagery. International journal of remote sensing, 27(14):3025-3033.‏

https://doi.org/10.1080/01431160600589179 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01431160600589179

Yuan, X., Li, S., J. Chen, H. Yu, T. Yang, C. Wang, S. Huang, H. Chen, & X. Ao.2024. Impacts of global climate change on agricultural production: A Comprehensive Review. Agronomy, 14(7),1360. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14071360. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14071360

Zhang, H., Q. Liu, 7 D. Yu. 2021. SAVI-based assessment of vegetation cover and soil degradation in drylands. Remote Sensing, 13(4), 765. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109155. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109155

Downloads

Published

2026-09-30

Issue

Vol. 57 No. 9 (2026)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Nareman Ali Kadhum, Alaa Salih Ati

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Kadhum, N., & Ati, A. (2026). MONITORING HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATIC CHANGES IN THE EASTERN EUPHRATES PROJECT USING GEOSPATIAL TECHNIQUE. IRAQI JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES, 57(9), 2446-2458. https://doi.org/10.36103/vnzd0w45