Geospatial Assessment of Soil Sustainability Indicators in AL-Hammar Marsh
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54174/av3jrt65Keywords:
ESI,, NDVI anomaly, IDW, Normalization, Geometric AggregationAbstract
This study aims to investigate the sustainability of the soils of the Al-Hammar Marshes region. During this study, we monitored the state of agricultural drought, surface temperature, soil degradation, and Vegetation health, all of which were derived from remote sensing data for the period from winter 2002 to 2025, especially data derived from Landsat sensors, as the ArcGIS Pro environment allowed us to do. By integrating basic soil values (salinity, percentage of exchangeable sodium, and soil organic matter content) with Sentinel-2 data within the framework of spatial analysis using geostatistics, we employed the normalization technique for the study indicators to calculate the Sustainable Development Index (SDI) using Geometric Aggregation. This study highlighted the environmental degradation resulting from climate change and harmful human activity. The study revealed a harsher climate due to extended dry seasons and a rapidly increasing global surface temperature. Climate change has led to salt accumulation and the transformation of soils into barren saline deserts, with the exception of some halophytic Vegetation communities. Our study also indicated an increase in the percentage of exchangeable sodium in the soil, leading to the deterioration of vegetation cover. Furthermore, the results showed a decline over time in the values of related soil and Vegetation spectral indicators. We believe this study provides decision-makers with insights that, if adopted through periodic monitoring of environmental indicators and field and laboratory testing, can inform the development of long-term soil sustainability strategies in the Al-Hammar Marshes. Southern Iraq.
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