Drought and flood footprint: An environmental analysis of plant biodiversity changes in Al-Hawizeh Marsh, Iraq
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This study aimed to assess environmental changes and degradation in Al-Hawizeh Marsh-Umm al-Naaj Pond, southern Iraq, from 2017 to 2023, focusing on plant diversity and its response to variations in rainfall, flooding, and water quality. It compared the wet season (2018/2019) with the severe drought season (2022/2023). Field surveys and data on the region's rainfall patterns showed a sharp annual variation. The 2018/2019 season recorded 413.6 mm of annual rainfall, resulting in complete flooding of the marsh (100% in the spring). In contrast, the drought seasons (2020/2021) saw rainfall of no more than 31.2 mm. The drought became more severe in the 2022/2023 season, as the AL-Hawizeh Marshes in Misan were flooded by only 5% of the area that could be flooded. The reduced freshwater releases associated with the drought led to a significant deterioration in water quality. In 2023, chloride (Cl) ion concentrations nearly doubled, and TDS and EC values ??increased significantly compared to 2018. The most severe impact of drought was on vegetation cover, where a radical ecological shift occurred between 2018 and 2023. In 2018, aquatic plants dominated (70%) of plant diversity. By 2023, this ratio had reversed, with terrestrial plants comprising (73%) of plant diversity, and 16 terrestrial plant species of Iraqi flora were recorded for the first time in the marshlands. The study confirms that climatic fluctuations, represented by the annual variation in rainfall, are the main determining factor for water levels in the marshes, and that periods of severe drought led to widespread structural deterioration in the region’s ecosystem, increased salinity, water pollution, and a complete shift in plant biodiversity towards terrestrial and halophyte species.
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