التغيرات البيئيه للمسطحات المائيه في جنوب العراق إعتمادا على الدراسات البالينولوجيه

Abstract

Palynological techniques are useful in reconstructing past environments, especially when other sources of information are lacking. We have embarked on a palynological study of the wetlands in Southern Iraq in an attempt to determine the nature and extent of past plant communities and other conditions prior to the drying of the wetland in the 1990s. Ten 1-m depth cores were collected from selected locations in marshes and shallow open water wetlands in Mesopotamian wetlands of Southern Iraq. Pollen diagrams from three short cores from the Hawizeh wetlands serve as a reference because this site has not been drained. The palynomorphs in these cores were Gramineae, -ensis were noteworthy. Charcoal was scattered through the cores and indicate activities associated with human settlements. Many other forms of cuticles, filaments, insects, algae, and foraminifera test linings were also recorded. A second set of pollen samples were analyzed from 160 soil samples from eight cores collected from the wetland area which was dried during the 1990s. These data show a mixture of pollen and spores that could be used to evaluate past vegetation, climatic, and ecological changes. Preliminary results indicated that chenopodiaceous have increased while germinate types have declined which probably reflected desertification and a trend towards a more aeolian landscape during the 1990s. It is hoped that these studies will be useful in establishing conditions of the wetlands prior to destruction and will assist in setting restoration goals in the future. Case studies of one deep borehole (153 m) near Amara city for evaluating late Quaternary history and dig of 3 m depth to evaluate ancient desertification by wetland dryness were taken for correlation and connection with this recent sediment.

The paleoenvironment and depositional context of the Sumerian site of Abu Tbeirah (Nasiriyah, southern Mesopotamia, Iraq)

“…This depositional environment is also confirmed by the pollen analysis of the sectors surrounding the Abu Tbeirah site (see Al-Ameri et al, 2005, 2011Al-Ameri and Jassim, 2011;Al-Ameri and Al-Dolaymi, 2013;Kumar, 2015), characterized by the presence of Poaceae and Palmae, and by two distinct environments: a permanently flooded marshland with abundant Typha and other marshy plants, associated with deposition of peat and/or organic clay; and a partially dry marshland where Typha is missing, but abundant chenopods are found, indicating a salt-rich substratum.…”

Source and Distribution of Palynomorphs in Southern Red Sea Coastal Environments of Saudi Arabia; Their Palaeoenvironmental and Palaeoecological Inferences

“…These papers helped in identifying certain pollen and spores. Most importantly floral composition of various vegetation types in Saudi Arabia [35] was used to discuss the provenance of pollen types identified. A 12-month long aerobiological survey of pollen in Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia located in the east-central region of the country, recorded several types of pollen taxa including Palmae/Arecaceae (36).…”

“…and Verrualetes sp. According to Thomas [35] four palm species occur in Saudi Arabia; they are Hyphaene thebaica, Phoenix caespitosa, Phoenix dactylifera, and Phoenix reclinata. The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is an important crop in Saudi Arabia.…”

Climate change and future challenges to the sustainable management of the Iraqi marshlands

“…Literature shows that considerable research work was conducted on marsh restoration (Curtis et al, 2005 ; DAI, 2006 ; Iraqi Ministries of Environment et al 2006 ; CRIM 2007 unpublished report; CRIM 2008 unpublished report; Riyadh et al, 2008 ; CRIM 2009a unpublished report; CRIM 2009b unpublished report; Al-Saboonchi et al, 2011 ; Al-Ameri and Jassim ( 2011 ); Al-Ansari & Knutsson, 2011 ; Al-Ansari et al, 2012 ; Muhannad et al, 2013 ; Al-Gburi et al, 2017 ; Al-Khafaji et al, 2018 ; Al-Khafaji et al, 2021 ; Bayda et al, 2022 ). Furthermore, various studies have shown that Iraq is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change and its water resources begin significantly impacted, such as Chenoweth et al ( 2011 ), Abbas et al ( 2016 ), Abbas et al ( 2017 ), Awchi and Kalyana ( 2017 ), Al-Khafaji and Al-Chalabi ( 2019 ), Constantinidou et al ( 2019 ), and Saeed et al ( 2021 ).…”