Assessment of Hydrological Drought and Vegetation Cover Trend in the Iraqi Marshlands Using Remote Sensing and GIS

Authors

  • FADHAA TURKI DAKHIL School of Civil Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300, Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia
  • NURIDAH BINTI SABTU School of Civil Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300, Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia
  • ALAA G. KHALAF Scientific Research Commission, Baghdad, Iraq

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54386/jam.v28i2.3349

Keywords:

GIS Hydrological Drought, Iraq’s Marshes, LSWI, Remote sensing, Landsat images

Abstract

The Iraqi Marshlands are among the most important wetland ecosystems in the Middle East, due to their significant environmental, economic, and social role. However, in recent decades, they have faced increasing challenges resulting from climate change and human activities, which have directly impacted their water resources. This study aims to assess the hydrological drought and vegetation cover trend in the Iraqi Marshlands using remote sensing data, focusing on the Land Surface Water Index (LSWI) and the Normalized Difference Vegetation (NDVI) extracted from Sentinel 2 and Landsat satellite images for the period 1984–2024. The results showed a significant decline in water surface and vegetation cover area over the studied period, with severe droughts recorded in the last two decades. This reflects the interaction between climate change and human-induced pressures, such as dam construction and reduced water supplies. These results highlight the seriousness of the ongoing hydrological drought and its impact on the marsh ecosystem, and underscore the need to adopt integrated water resource management strategies and develop long-term environmental monitoring programs using remote sensing techniques.

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Published

04-06-2026

How to Cite

DAKHIL, F. T., SABTU, N. B., & KHALAF, A. G. (2026). Assessment of Hydrological Drought and Vegetation Cover Trend in the Iraqi Marshlands Using Remote Sensing and GIS. Journal of Agrometeorology, 28(2), 150–158. https://doi.org/10.54386/jam.v28i2.3349

Issue

Vol. 28 No. 2 (2026): June

Section

Research Paper

Categories

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