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Soil Erosion Catastrophe in Iraq-Preview, Causes and Study Cases

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Environmental Degradation in Asia

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Abstract

Soil erosion is a major global soil degradation threat to land, freshwater and food security. Quantification of soil loss is important for soil and water conservation practitioners and policy makers. In Iraq, about 11 million hectares are affected by water and wind erosion, while the remaining areas experience different degrees of erosion. This chapter reviews available research reports estimating and managing soil erosion in Iraq. It is evident that water erosion in Iraq is caused by both natural processes and human induced activities, while wind erosion is mainly caused by natural process. Land desertification in Iraq is paired with salinization leading to additional soil erosion caused by destructive wind. Both water and wind erosion had reached critical levels in the past three decades as a result of land neglecting and lack of conservation measures. The northern parts of Iraq are suffering from water erosion due to high rainfall intensities and excessive plowing of cultivated soil, whereas wind erosion is affecting most of the southern and western parts. Average erosivity factors were 15,835, 6695, and 2584 MJ mm ha−1 h−1 for the northern, western, and central and southern parts, respectively. Moreover, estimated wind erosion was 65–70.2 Mg ha−1 year−1 for the western and southern parts. More applied work is needed to estimate and solve erosion problems in different parts of Iraq.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful for the distinctive comments offered by editors and reviewers that have improved the text and chapter. We are grateful to Dr. Ayad M. Fadhil Al-Quraishi, Professor of Applied Remote Sensing and GIS, Tishk, International University for his continuous motivation and support.

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  1. Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Natural Resource and the Environment, Jordan University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 3030, Irbid, 22110, Jordan

    Nabil Ibrahim Eltaif & Mamoun A. Gharaibeh

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  1. Nabil Ibrahim Eltaif
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  2. Mamoun A. Gharaibeh
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Correspondence to Nabil Ibrahim Eltaif .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Petroleum and Mining Engineering Department, Tishk International University, Erbil, Iraq

    Ayad M. Fadhil Al-Quraishi

  2. University of Zakho, Zakho, Duhok, Iraq

    Yaseen T. Mustafa

  3. Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

    Abdelazim M. Negm

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Eltaif, N.I., Gharaibeh, M.A. (2022). Soil Erosion Catastrophe in Iraq-Preview, Causes and Study Cases. In: Al-Quraishi, A.M.F., Mustafa, Y.T., Negm, A.M. (eds) Environmental Degradation in Asia. Earth and Environmental Sciences Library. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12112-8_9

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