June 16th, 2013 Category: Climate Change, Dust Storms MODISAqua

Iraq – June 16th, 2013

A plume of dust blows southeastward across Iraq, by the Tigris-Euphrates River Valley, across the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab and over the northern end of the Persian Gulf. Iraq is considered one of the region’s most vulnerable countries to climate change and it faces a unique set of environmental challenges.

Rising environmental degradation and increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, especially sand and dust storms, take an enormous toll on socio-economic life and human development across the region.

In Iraq, the Ministry of Environment recorded 122 dust-storms and 283 dusty days and sources suggest that within the next ten years, Iraq could witness 300 dust-storms per year. These projections underscore the urgent need for a concerted regional effort to address the phenomenon today (click here for more information).

Tags: Dust Euphrates River Iraq Persian Gulf Shatt al-Arab Tigris River | Comments |

May 19th, 2013 Category: Climate Change, Dust Storms, Rivers

Iraq – May 19th, 2013

Some dust blows over the Tigris and Euphrates River Valley in Iraq. Iraq suffers from desertification and soil salination due in large part to thousands of years of agricultural activity. Water and plant life are sparse. Saddam Hussein’s government water-control projects drained the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting streams and rivers.

The marshlands were a fine and extensive natural wetlands ecosystem which developed over thousands of years in the Tigris–Euphrates basin and once covered 15–20,000 square kilometers. Between 84% and 90% of the marshes have been destroyed since the 1970s. In 1994, 60 percent of the wetlands were destroyed by Hussein’s regime – drained to permit military access and greater political control of the native Marsh Arabs.

The drying of the marshes led to the disappearance of the salt-tolerant vegetation; the plankton rich waters that fertilized surrounding soils; 52 native fish species; the wild boar, red fox, buffalo and water birds of the marsh habitat.

Tags: Desertification Dust Euphrates River Iraq Tigris River | Comments |

March 24th, 2013 Category: Dust Storms

Middle East – March 23rd, 2013

A plume blows in a north-south streak across Iraq, near Syria. The dust crosses the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, as well as part of the fertile valley between them. Iraq suffers from desertification and soil salination due in large part to thousands of years of agricultural activity. This desertification can lead to more frequent dust storms. Visible in the lower right corner, unaffected by the dust, is the northernmost part of the Persian Gulf.

Tags: Dust Euphrates River Iraq Persian Gulf Syria Tigris River | Comments |

July 17th, 2012 Category: Dust Storms

Iraq and Kuwait – July 13th, 2012

Two plumes of dust can be seen blowing between Kuwait and the valley by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, in Iraq. The plume of dust to the west is lighter – almost white in color – and wider, while the plume to the east is the same tan color as the surrounding desert and narrower. Visible by the river edge, in the Persian Gulf, are sediments near the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab.

Tags: Dust Euphrates River Iraq Kuwait Persian Gulf Shatt al-Arab Tigris River | Comments |