Analysis of fresh-saline water interface at the Shatt Al-Arab estuary

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe river formed by the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates is known as the Shatt Al-Arab; it runs for about 190 km from the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates, in Qurnah, Iraq, to the Arabian/Persian Gulf. The lowest alluvial plains of the Tigris and Euphrates have been for millennia exploited for their fertile soils and rich date palm forest. Nevertheless, over the past decades, this productive region has experienced the negative impact of salt intrusion from the Gulf, jeopardizing the environment and the economy of the region. The causes of salt intrusion in the Shatt Al-Arab have be ascribed to anthropogenic activities in the area, such as, for example, damming of the Tigris and Euphrates, which induced new flow regimes in the Shatt Al-Arab. Although modelling salinity intrusion has become a common practice in research and applications, availability of input data might have discouraged or limited the analysis of salinity intrusion in the Shatt Al-Arab. The kind cooperation of the Center of Study and Design at the Ministry of Water Resources of Iraq made it possible to collect relevant and valuable data for the development of this research work which aimed at understanding the behaviour of salt intrusion in the Shatt Al-Arab in relation to the inflow conditions in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. A scenario analysis approach was adopted for investigating the relationship between salt intrusion and different inflow conditions in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.