The Mesopotamian Geomorphology researches..

Geomorphology of Shatt Al-Arab Valley by Aid of Remote sensing Techniques

Sahar T. Al-Mulla*

Abstract

  The present work is an attempt to study the geomorphology and the main changes in the Shatt Al-Arab River valley. It is improved by the help of remote sensing technique, satellite images, aerial photographs (white and black), and some computer programs such as Envi, Didger, Photoshop, Arcview and GIS. These programs gave great facilities for investment and recolor the images in different colors and scales. From these images, many information, identifications and interpretations were obtained and also constructed many kinds of geomorphic and land uses maps.

   The field work were done to get the soil and sediments from the flood plain and river bed, beside the water samples for suspended load analysis in five stations, distributed along the Shatt Al-Arab river channel. Field measurements include also the cross-sections of the channel with all morph metric properties and measuring the tidal current velocity.

   Multi-contour maps for the surface elevation, channel beds, slopes, and tidal current velocity were obtained by the help of computer programs.

   Chapter one, deals with the geology, topography, climatic factors, soil, sediments and vegetations of the studied area.

   Chapter two, discus the geomorphology of the Shatt Al-Arab valley.

   Chapter three shows the hydrologic and geomorphic properties of the Shatt Al-Arab valley and its flood plain.

   Chapter four, deals with land uses and land cover in studied area and relation with the geomorphology of the valley.

   The study reveals that there are many certain factors playing roles on the geomorphology of the area. These factors include; geology, tectonic, topographic properties, climatic conditions, beside the vegetations and river discharge.

   The analysis of multi-aerial photographs and historical maps of the area and their neighboring area show that the Shatt Al-Arab valley was affected by the pale climate conditions, which is solidified by the existence of the extensive former channels in each side of the rivers of that area, and also the shift of the Arabian Gulf and Shatt Al-Arab delta.

   The present study pointed out that there are four abandoned irrigation paleo-channels, which have a conspicuous correlation with the present Shatt Al-Arab flow channel. These channels reflect some of the paleo geographical aspect of paleo Tigris – Euphrates – Shatt Al-Arab delta.

   The now day geomorphologic and hydrological situation were modified by the action of some of environment alteration that took place throughout the last ten decades.

   The complex natural  and human action conduct to leave their prints on the morphological features of the studied area, such as the joining up of islands and the emergency of new Shatt Al-Arab islands as well as the

Desertification process acting upon Shatt Al-Arab banks and that over banks neighboring areas. This study also illustrates the east word shifting of Shatt Al-Arab as a result of sedimentation and the re-activation of the tectonic setting.

Ph.D. Thesis submitted by Sahar T. Al-Mulla, College of Art, Basrah University, 2005.

Supervised by: Prof. Dr. Taglub Jerjees and  Dr. Qassim Al-Sa'di. 

* Dr. Sahar Tariq Al-Mula

 Email: sah_mull@yahoo.com