Climate changes impact on the distribution of vegetation in Wasit and Nineveh regions of Iraq

Abstract

Climate changes have a direct or indirect impact on many vital systems, including human and animal, as well as vegetation. The monthly precipitation and temperature for the period (1981-2021) and vegetation images (NDVI) for the period (2000-2022) from the satellite (NASA) for the regions of Ninevah and Wasit of Iraq were used to find out their variations over the space and time. It was found that the temperature was increasing with time, but the precipitation was in a state of turbulent increase in the two study areas. The distribution of vegetation was also in a state of change with time as well as within a region. The vegetation area increased with increase in precipitation which was greater in the Ninevah region than in the Wasit region. When there was a lack of precipitation, the vegetation cover area decreased in the two study areas. The increase in temperature also resulted in a decrease in the density and area of vegetation. It was found that the change in the amount of precipitation was more influential than the change in temperature on the vegetative distribution.