Habbaniyah Land Cover Change Detection Using Geoinformatics

Abstract

The study area was chosen within the district of Habbaniyah city with an area of 12320 hectares. In order to detect the change in the predominant ground covers and classify the soils of the study area. Using remote sensing and geographic information systems. For the Landsat 7 and 8 satellites, path 169 and Row 37, for the ETM+ sensor for the year 2007 and 2011, and for the OLI sensor for the year 2015 and 2020. All parts of the study area were covered by semi-detailed soil surveying with Free Lance method, And nine pedons were determined and determined by GPS. The results showed that the classification of soils in the study area included two order of soils: Entisols and Aridisols. Four main classes of land cover were identified: barren land, vegetation cover, Urban Lands and water. As the area of barren lands in 2007 was 6417.5 hectares, 54.09%, accompanied by a decrease in vegetation cover during 2007, with an area of 4360.6 hectares, 35.39%. It was also noted that there was an increase in the areas of Urban Land represented by Urban sprawl, as it was during 2007 with an area of 1104.8 hectares, or 8.97% While it increased during the year 2020, reaching 1927.4 hectares, at a rate of 15.64%, and this is a serious indicator of the desertification of agricultural lands due to Urban sprawl and the transformation of agricultural lands into residential areas. Water bodies decreased during the year 2011 at a rate of 6.3 hectares/year, while the amount of the decrease during the year 2020 was about 2.3 hectares/year due to water scarcity, the construction of dams and the reduction of water flow towards Iraqi lands. It also notes a slight increase in the areas of vegetation cover during the year 2020, at a rate of 5.6 hectares/year, which is very small compared to the area of the study area. While it reached its peak at a rate of 27.1 hectares/year during the year 2011. We also note an increase in Urban sprawl during the year 2020, as it was an increase of 5.7 hectares/year and on a continuous basis.