Southern Part Of Iraq Research Articles

Integrated Petrophysical Evaluation of a Heterogeneous Shaly-sand Reservoir: A Case Study in Nahr Umr Formation-subba Giant Oil Field, Iraq

This study presents an integrated petrophysical evaluation for Nahr Umr reservoir by highlighting a practical trustworthy approach petrophysical model for Nahr Umr reservoir in Subba oil field depending on available data. The available data include core analysis conducted on seven core samples taken from seven wells in Subba oil field and well set logs which include gamma ray, static spontaneous, neutron, sonic, density and resistivity logs. Subba oil field is a giant oil field located in southern part of Iraq about 110 km Northwest Basra. Nahr Umr formation in Subba oil field is a heterogeneous clastic reservoir. It was considered one of the most important producing clastic reservoir in southern Iraqi oil fields. The conventional petrophysical models, by using neutron- density cross-plot for lithology and porosity and Archie's equation for water saturation, can be adequate for evaluating clean sands. Usually the shaly sand formations are adhere to bad hole in shale section. Facies identification was achieved depending on core analysis data, core description data and wire line log measurements. The calculations of permeability was based on rock types identification and using available core data measurements. The generated permeability models can be used to calculate permeability for uncored intervals in all wells corresponding to each facies. Porosity was calculated using Neutron-density porosity model and Sonic model for bad hole section. Saturation model was built by utilizing the Indonesia Equation model, this model has proved its efficiency to be applied successfully for clastic Iraqi reservoirs. The petrophysical parameters were determined on a well-by-well basis. The formation resistivity factors (a, m) and water saturation exponent (n) have been derived from Pickett plot and formation water salinity. Reservoir quality calculations or net pay values are based on cut-offs values for porosity, saturation and shale volume.

Biological Approach for Recycling Waste Water in Iraq

The middle and southern parts of Iraq are exposed to a series of serious drought-related problems. This is mainly linked to the absence of applied international law for water distribution in the Euphrates and Tigris rivers between Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, in addition to climate change and unawareness of the water resource problems for more than three decades. The Inter-Agency Information and Analysis Unit of the United Nations reported that water in the Tigris and Euphrates will decrease by up to 80% and 50%, respectively, by 2025. Therefore, water recycling would be an essential and inevitable sustainable approach under these circumstances. The biological treatment of sewage, industrial waste water, scientific laboratories effluent, and irrigation waters using compact units is described here to be involved in solving the water shortage in Iraq. The main indicators used to assess the efficiency of these units are chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), total solved salts (TSS), and total fecal coliforms (TFC). These units have been approved to treat contaminated waters with 10-fold pollutants in a fifth of the time required as compared to other classical procedures. In conclusion, using these treatment units will be useful in tackling the problem of water shortage in Iraq and could potentially be the best control method to stop the spread of infectious diseases obtained from contaminated waters.

Драма Арабского Востока

New upheavals have shaken the Middle East this summer. A small but determined army of Sunni jihadists that had operated in the war-torn Syria suddenly crossed the border into Iraq and launched a large-scale military campaign. In a matter of days the invaders captured the second largest city of Iraq, Mosul, and although heavily outnumbered by the Iraqi army, put it to flight. The militants, known as ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham, the latter word meaning Syria and Lebanon) and led by an exceedingly tough and ruthless commander Abubaqr al-Baghdadi, are descendants of the infamous terrorist international network Al-Qaeda. Actually, the ISIS members represent the third generation of Al-Qaeda militants who waged the war against the Soviet Army in Afghanistan back in 1989-s and later fought the Americans in Iraq in the wake of the U.S. invasion. Lately they joined the Syrian armed opposition that has been trying to overthrow the regime of Bashar al-Assad for about three years. Now that the military situation in Syria appears to favor the embattled president, ISIS has probably come to the conclusion that its priority is not necessarily the ousting of Assad; rather it is the creation of an Islamic state according to the name of their organization. Exactly this seems to be the rationale for their comeback into Iraq. The Sunni jihadists whose ultimate aim is to resurrect the medieval Islamic Caliphate have to confront both the Iraqi Kurds who live in a virtually semi-independent state formation and the Shia Arabs who mostly inhabit the southern part of Iraq. Yet, both communities, although probably capable of protecting North, South and the capital city, are hardly likely to reassert the government authority in the central part of the country. What is necessary is the assistance from abroad. The Shia-dominated Iraqi government of Nouri al-Maliki, in deep trouble, is looking to both Iran and the U.S. for military aid. Both Washington and Tehran, however, appear reluctant to be seen as wholeheartedly backing the Shia side if only for fear of alienating the mainstream Arab States who are of course Sunni. This is a pretty delicate situation indeed.

Behaviour of Track Ballast Under Repeated Loading

Najaf-sea quarry is located in Najaf city about 160 km south west of Baghdad the capital of Iraq. It is the main source that supplies track ballast for maintenance of existing railway network and construction of new railway lines in the middle and southern parts of Iraq. Track ballast experience a complex combination of stresses during its service lifetime, primarily from repeated axial loads of the trains in addition to stresses generated from the environmental conditions. The ideal evaluation of suitability of track ballast must be carried out under real field loading conditions, however such field tests are usually costly and time consuming. On the other hand laboratory model tests simulating field loads under limited boundary conditions can provide satisfactory indication about the suitability of the material. The present paper investigates the deformation characteristics of Najaf-sea track ballast, under repeated loading using model tests simulating ballast conditions under a selected track section. A test setup was designed and manufactured capable of applying both monotonic as well as repeated loading on the track section under different conditions. The repeated model tests which simulate as close as possible the field conditions shed the light on the generated settlement, modulus of deformation and degradation of the ballast particles under different repeated loading levels. Statistical analysis in terms of breakage index and repeated applied load revealed satisfactory correlations that help in understanding the overall performance of the ballast material. The results also demonstrate that 4–5 tamping are capable of controlling both the settlement and modulus of deformation of the ballast material.

Assessment of soil salinity risk on the agricultural area in Basrah Province, Iraq: Using remote sensing and GIS techniques

This study presents an integrated study of expansion process of salinized land in Basrah Province, a typical salt-affected area in southern parts of Iraq, by using geo-information techniques. Satellite images (Landsat TM 1990) and thematic maps (ETM 2003) were used to provide comprehensive views of surface conditions such as vegetation cover and salinization detection. With ERDAS software, the normalized differential salinity index (NDSI) and salinity index (SI) were computed and then evaluated for soil degradation by salinization. ARC/INFO software was used along with field observation data (global positioning system) for analysis. During the past 13 years, the salinized land in study area increased by 6 579.1 km2 and in 2003 covered 34.5% of the total area; in the meantime, vegetation cover has decreased by 4 595.9 km2 and in 2003 covers only 24.1% of the study area. Environmental changes show that, between 1990 and 2003, 37.5% of vegetation cover and 45.9% of marshlands were transformed into salty meadow and wet salty crust, respectively. In addition, there was 16.6% of sand lands converted into dry puffy salty crust. Results using spatial analysis methods showed that 7 894.9 km2 (41.4%) of land had no risk of environment degradation by soil salinity, 4 595.9 km2 (24.1%) had slight risk, 4 042.8 km2 (21.2%) had moderate risk, and 2 536.3 km2 (13.3%) of the total land area was at a high risk of environment degradation by soil salinity. In conclusion, the study area was exposed to a high risk of soil salinity.

Geological evolution of the Iraqi Mesopotamia Foredeep, inner platform and near surroundings of the Arabian Plate

Geological evolution of the Iraqi Mesopotamia Foredeep, inner platform and near surroundings of the Arabian Plate

Evaluation of Indirect Tensile Strength of Track Ballast Using Weibull Statistics

Iraq is planning to expand and rehabilitate its current railway network, thus demanding huge amounts of proper ballast material. There are three common quarries in Iraq, Sinjaar in the northern sector, Al-Qaim in western desert and Najaf-sea in the middle and southern parts of Iraq. The selection of proper track ballast material is of prime importance in design and construction of railway projects. The single particle-crushing test is a simple indirect tensile test that provides useful data for the selection of the material. Two types of railway ballast materials from (Najaf-sea and Al-Qaim) quarries are commonly used in the construction of railway in Iraq. The single particle-crushing test was performed for various ballast sizes, and the obtained data were analyzed using Weibull analysis. Najaf-sea crushed stones indicate higher tensile strength for all particle sizes compared to corresponding particle sizes of Al-Qaim crushed stone. In addition, an inverse linear relationship had obtained, between tensile strength and particle size with R2 (0.837 and 0.979) for Al-Qaim and Najaf-sea crushed stone, respectively, such relationships are important in evaluating the suitability of the materials in terms of the survival probability

Inflorescence rot disease of date palm caused by Fusarium proliferatum in Southern Iraq

Date palm is one of the important income sources for many farmers in different parts of several countries, including Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, North Africa etc. Inflorescence rot is a serious disease of date palm which limits its yield. The identification of the causal organism is a key step to tackling this disease, and such studies are very scanty. The objective of this present study was to identify the causal agent of inflorescence rot disease occurring on date palms prevailing in Southern Iraq. The diseased date palm trees were observed in Shaat-Al-Arab and Al-Deer regions near Basrah in Iraq. The isolates were identified using morphological and molecular parameters. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS)/5.8S regions were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequenced. The PCR method and phylogenetic relationship successfully identified that the causal organism of date palm inflorescence rot disease in southern part of Iraq is Fusarium proliferatum . Pathogenecity test confirmed the disease-causing ability of the fungus, and sequence comparison for similarity of ITS region. Identification of this new causal agent of inflorescence rot may help the plant pathologists to control this disease. Keywords: Fusarium proliferatum , ITS1, ITS4, pathogenecity, PCR, isolates, phylogeny

English

  Date palm is one of the important income sources for many farmers in different parts of several countries, including Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, North Africa etc. Inflorescence rot is a serious disease of date palm which limits its yield. The identification of the causal organism is a key step to tackling this disease, and such studies are very scanty. The objective of this present study was to identify the causal agent of inflorescence rot disease occurring on date palms prevailing in Southern Iraq. The diseased date palm trees were observed in Shaat-Al-Arab and Al-Deer regions near Basrah in Iraq. The isolates were identified using morphological and molecular parameters. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS)/5.8S regions were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequenced. The PCR method and phylogenetic relationship successfully identified that the causal organism of date palm inflorescence rot disease in southern part of Iraq is Fusarium proliferatum. Pathogenecity test confirmed the disease-causing ability of the fungus, and sequence comparison for similarity of ITS region. Identification of this new causal agent of inflorescence rot may help the plant pathologists to control this disease.   Key words: Fusarium proliferatum, ITS1, ITS4, pathogenecity, PCR, isolates, phylogeny.

The Clinical and Histological Skin Changes After the Cupping Therapy (Al-Hijamah)

Background: Cupping Therapy (CT) has been reported as treatment for several skin conditions such as acne, post herpetic neuralgia, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and urticaria. Although it is often considered as part of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it has been widely practiced in the Middle East and the rest of the world for centuries. In Basra, a city in the southern part of Iraq, cupping therapy is often used by alternative medicine practitioners for treating skin disorders. However, limited is known about the clinical and histological effects of cupping therapy on the skin. Objectives: To investigate the immediate and delayed effect of CT on the skin, clinically and histologically. Material and Methods: TWe visited alternative and herbal medicine clinics that practice cupping therapy in Basra. Questionnaires were given to the patients and the alternative medicine practitioners to explore their experience with cupping therapy in terms of the presenting complaints and symptoms following therapy. The different types of application techniques and the immediate and delayed clinical changes on the skin following cupping therapy have been recorded. Ten skin biopsies were taken from male participants to investigate the histological changes in the application sites. Results: One hundred and thirty five patients were enrolled in the study. Of them, 102 (75.6%) were males and 33 (24.4 %) were females. The presenting complaints in males were back pain (29.4 %), Sciatica pain (15.7%) then headache (12.7%). In females, the presenting complaints were frozen shoulder (30.3%), back pain (18.2%), joint pain (12.1%) and gynecological causes (9.1%). Skin diseases were the presenting complaints in 4.9% of the males and 3% of the females. They included psoriasis, vitiligo, and eczema. Following cupping therapy, the immediate signs were erythema, swelling, bruising, bleeding, bullae formation and sings of cutting as results of cutting the skin for bloodletting. Patients reported discomfort ranging from slight tingling sensation to severe pain. Delayed clinical effects were scars in 6% of cases and patches of post inflammatory hyper-pigmentation with or without ring of ecchymosis in 4 % of total cases 30 days after cupping therapy. In all other cases complete healing of the skin was within three weeks. No adverse events were noted in our study. Histological changes following cutting and bloodletting were mild oedema, vacuolization and longitudinal fissure as a result of cutting in the epidermis. In the dermis, histological changes were dermal oedema and bleeding in the upper and lower parts of the dermis. No cellular infiltration was noted. Conclusion: Cupping therapy is associated with distinctive early and late clinical changes. However, it is safe procedure and most of these changes are reversible within three weeks. There were no adverse events as a result of the therapy. The efficacy of cupping therapy in treatment is beyond the scope of this study and further studies are needed.

Application of remote sensing and GIS in the study of environmental sensitivity to desertification: a case study in Basrah Province, southern part of Iraq

This research utilizes the integrated remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) in the southern part of Iraq (Basrah Province was taken as a case) to assess the environmentally sensitivity area to desertification. The thematic layers of soil, vegetation, climate, and extent of sand movement are the main data required for estimating the desertification sensitivity index. These layers were extracted and manipulated from the available topographic map data, geologic map, satellite image (TM in 1990 and ETM+ in 2003), and field survey data analyses. Spatial analyst function in ArcGIS 9.3 software was used for matching the thematic layers and assessing the desertification index. The obtained data on change detection reveal that the area of active sand movement has increased from 4,118.3 to 4,558.1 km2, and the highly sensitive areas for sandy desertification are located in the western–southern parts of Basrah Province, representing 61.9% of the area belonging to class 5. The rest of the southern parts of the study location exhibit moderately sensitive areas for desertification, representing 18.9% of the total area belonging to class 4. The northern parts of the study location are characterized by a very low and low sensitivity for desertification, representing 8.5% and 10.7% of the total area, respectively. It is recommended that there is a need to establish a professional arid environment center, which can be coordinated with government sectors and different universities in southern part of Iraq to solve various environmental problems.

Environmental change monitoring in the arid and semi-arid regions: a case study Al-Basrah Province, Iraq

In recent years, land use/cover dynamic change has become a key subject urgently to be dealt with in the study of global environmental change. This research utilizes the integrated remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) in the southern part of Iraq (Basrah Province was taken as a case) to monitor, map, and quantify the environmental change using a 1:250,000 mapping scale. Remote sensing and GIS software were used to classify Landsat TM in 1990 and Landsat ETM+ in 2003 imagery into five land use and land cover (LULC) classes: vegetation land, sand land, urban area, unused land, and water bodies. Supervised classification and normalized difference buildup index, normalized difference vegetation index, normalized difference bare land index, the normalized differential water index, crust index (CI) algorithms, and change detection techniques were adopted in this research and used, respectively, to retrieve its class boundary. An accuracy assessment was performed on the 2003 LULC map to determine the reliability of the map. Finally, GIS software was used to quantify and illustrate the various LULC conversions that took place over the 13-year span of time. The results showed that the urban area, sand lands, and bare lands had increased by the rate of 1.2%, 0.8%, and 0.4% per year, with area expansion from 3,299.1, 4,119.1 km2, and 3,201.9 km2 in 1990 to 3,794.9, 4,557.7, and 3,351.7 km2 in 2003, respectively. While the vegetation cover and water body classes were about 43.5% in 1990, the percentage decreased to about 39.6% in 2003. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the remote sensing and GIS technologies in detecting, assessing, mapping, and monitoring the environmental changes.

Application of remote sensing and GIS to the study of land use/cover change and urbanization expansion in Basrah province, southern Iraq

In recent years, land use/cover dynamic change has become a key subject that needs to be dealt with in the study of global environmental change. In this paper, remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) are integrated to monitor, map, and quantify the land use/cover change in the southern part of Iraq (Basrah Province was taken as a case) by using a 1:250 000 mapping scale. Remote sensing and GIS software were used to classify Landsat TM in 1990 and Landsat ETM+ in 2003 imagery into five land use and land cover (LULC) classes: vegetation, sand, urban area, unused land, and water bodies. Supervised classification and normalized difference build-up index (NDBI) were used respectively to retrieve its urban boundary. An accuracy assessment was performed on the 2003 LULC map to determine the reliability of the map. Finally, GIS software was used to quantify and illustrate the various LULC conversions that took place over the 13-year span of time. Results showed that the urban area had increased by the rate of 1.2% per year, with area expansion from 3 299.1 km2 in 1990 to 3 794.9 km2 in 2003. Large vegetation area in the north and southeast were converted into urban construction land. The land use/cover changes of Basrah Province were mainly caused by rapid development of the urban economy and population immigration from the countryside. In addition, the former government policy of “returning farmland to transportation and huge expansion in military camps” was the major driving force for vegetation land change. The paper concludes that remote sensing and GIS can be used to create LULC maps. It also notes that the maps generated can be used to delineate the changes that take place over time.

Study on quantity and quality of some Iraqi apricot cultivars

Study was conducted of Husaynia, Kerbela, province using seven local cultivars of apricot (Harvi, Kaisi, Zakenia yellow Ardebel, Red Ardebel, Ahmar Bathri and Hashri). Protuct from direct planting of seeds. The trees used were similar in age trained on ordinary pyramid method and planted 7 x 7 m distance. The experiment was done for two seasons. Data on average yield of tree, fruit weight, flesh weight of fruit. pit weight, and percentage of total soluble solids of the fruit juice were recorded. Results showed that Zakenia, yellow Ardebel, Red Ardebel, and Kaisi cultivar were superior than other cultivars studied. It is recommended to plant these cultivars in the middle and southern parts of Iraq.

ASSESSMENT OF DEPLETED URANIUM CONTAMINATION IN SELECTIVE IRAQI SOILS

The aim of this research was to measure the radiation exposure rates in three selected locations in southern part of Iraq (two in Nassireya, and one in Amara) resulted from the existence of depleted uranium in soil and metal pieces have been taken from destroyed tank and study mathematically the concentration of Depleted Uranium by its dispersion from soil surface by winds and rains from 2003 to 2007. The exposure rates were measured using inspector device, while depleted uranium contamination in soil samples and tank's metal pieces were detected with Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors (SSNTDs). The wind and rain effects were considered in the calculation of dispersion effect on depleted uranium concentration in soil, where the wind effect were calculated with respect to the sites nature and soil conditions, and rain effect with respect to dispersive-convective equation for radionuclide in soil. The results obtained for the exposure rates were high near the penetrated surface, moderate and low in soil and metal pieces. The Depleted Uranium concentration in soil and metal pieces have the highest value in Nassireya .The results from dispersion calculation (wind & rain) showed that the depleted uranium concentration in 2008 will be less than the danger level and in allowable contamination range.

The Polish contribution to protection of the archaeological heritage in central south Iraq, November 2003 to April 2005

Iraq is the cradle of modern civilization, the land of ancient Mesopotamia, and thus unparalleled in its wealth of heritage sites. For years, with its strong Antiquities Law and its professional State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, Iraq protected its antiquities successfully. But since the beginning of the 1990s, many archaeological sites have been looted. Following the Second Gulf War (2003) the Polish government has attempted to assist Iraq. Since November 2003 the Polish Ministry of Culture has been delegating archaeologists for purposes of documentation, intervention and protection of the archaeological monuments located in the central southern part of Iraq, the core land of ancient Babylonia and Sumer. In close cooperation with Iraqi archaeologists, twenty-four projects valued at US$680,000 have been implemented between January 2004 and April 2005, involving aerial and ground reconnaissance and salvage recording of the most threatened archaeological sites. The Polish team has also conducted education and awareness training of the Coalition forces detachments to promote respect for heritage.

Preliminary Assessment of the Impact of Draining of Iraqi Marshes on Kuwait's Northern Marine Environment. Part I. Physical Manipulation

Kuwait's northern marine area is considered to be the receiving basin for the influx of sediments and associated pollutants from the Shatt Al-Arab estuary. In recent years, Iraq has undertaken to drain the southern marshes, which acted as a sink for the sediment and its associated pollutants. The draining process is expected to significantly increase the rate of sedimentation and change the hydrodynamic regime of the northern Arabian Gulf. Thirty-three bottom sediment samples from the area likely to be impacted by the draining of the marshes were collected and studied in 1997-98. Locations of sampling stations were selected as close to an earlier study done in 1982. The recent marine sediments of the study area are subdivided into five textural classes: sandy clay, clay, silt, mud and sandy mud. The comparison of the results of this study with those of the 1982 study showed that finer sediments were deposited. Based on sediment distribution, characteristics of bottom sediments and the topographic nature of the study area, a north-south sediment transport from Shatt Al-Arab and the southern part of Iraq, affecting the marine environment of Kuwait, is inferred. Comparison of water depths of the 1956 and 1986 hydrographic maps, revealed that more deposition occurred in the northern area, and this was attributed to the draining process. In general, there were some indications of the negative impact of the draining of the marshes, however, long-term and more detailed studies are needed.

Preliminary assessment of the impact of draining of iraqi marshes on kuwait's northern marine environment. parti. physical manipulation

Kuwait's northern marine area is considered to be the receiving basin for the influx of sediments and associated pollutants from the Shatt AI-Arab estuary. In recent years, Iraq has undertaken to drain the southern marshes, which acted as a sink for the sediment and its associated pollutants. The draining process is expected to significantly increase the rate of sedimentation and change the hydrodynamic regime of the northern Arabian Gulf. Thirty-three bottom sediment samples from the area likely to be impacted by the draining of the marshes were collected and studied in 1997–98. Locations of sampling stations were selected as close to an earlier study done in 1982. The recent marine sediments of the study area are subdivided into five textural classes: Sandy clay, clay, silt, mud and sandy mud. The comparison of the results of this study with those of the 1982 study showed that finer sediments were deposited. Based on sediment distribution, characteristics of bottom sediments and the topographic nature of the study area, a north-south sediment transport from Shatt AI-Arab and the southern part of Iraq, affecting the marine environment of Kuwait, is inferred. Comparison of water depths of the 1956 and 1986 hydrographic maps, revealed that more deposition occurred in the northern area, and this was attributed to the draining process. In general, there were some indications of the negative impact of the draining of the marshes, however, long-term and more detailed studies are needed.

Libraries in Iraq and Egypt: A comparative study

Libraries have existed in both Iraq and Egypt since the very early period of recorded history, and since the earliest period of human civilization. In Iraq, or what was known as Mesopotamia, the earliest accumulations of written records were stored in the Sumerians’ temples. Those records contained writings on various subjects, such as: history, commercial accounts, mathematics, medicine, astrology, hymns, religions and the beginning of literature. At Nippur, in the southern part of Iraq, part of a large temple library and archives containing clay tablets have been discovered. These tablets were dated partly from the Sumerian period, about 4000 B.C., and partly from the Babylonian and Assyrian periods, about 3000 B.C. At the temple of this city there were several rooms used for the library and archives. In the period of the Assyrian greatness, which followed that of the Babylonians, the library and archives of King Ashur-Bani-Pal were established in the city of Nineveh, in the northern part of Iraq, which was the capital of the Assyrians. More that 20 000 tablets were excavated in this city. Some private Assyrian libraries have also been found. A general classification was also found in the Nineveh library, called the Royal Classification, for the main subjects dealt with. The tablets were arranged on shelves or in large pots and vessels.1 It was reported that about half a million tablets have been excavated to date from the ruins of ancient Iraq (Mesopotamia) and some other parts of the Near East. Many of these tablets were moved to European museums, particularly the British Museum, during the British occupation and mandate in the area. Like Iraq, the Egyptian temples were believed to contain one of the first organized library collections. The library of King Ramses II