The Evaluation of Industrial Cement Production Plant on the Environmental Pollution Using Magnetic Susceptibility Technique

Different pollutants in soil, water, and other parts of the environment are so important in portraying environmental pollution, and could come from different source of pollutions including industrial activities. Entering metals into the soil by human activities is an important process in the geochemical cycling of heavy metals. Among the potentially toxic metals, mercury, lead, cadmium, nickel, arsenic, selenium and chromium could be named as the most toxic. Each of these elements is used in industrial activities and most of them are considered as by-products of mining, refining and similar industrial activities. Although the establishment of cement factories is usually associated with job creation and other economic aspects, the purpose of economic interests, is inevitable environmental damage caused by cement factories. Therefore, research on pollution originated from factories appears to be necessary. In order to determine the effect of cement production on farmland around Shahrood cement factory, soil samples were taken from surface soils from depth of 0-30 cm. The samples were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometer instrument after samples preparation using standard frequently used methods. Soil magnetic susceptibility of the samples was also measured using Saskopto meters MFK1-FA. The results showed that among the parameters studied, the element of Zinc has shown the lowest mean value equal to 0.31 mg·kg-1 and iron has shown the highest mean value equal to 6.36 mg·kg-1.

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 comprehen- sive views of surface conditions such as vegetation cover and salinization detection. With ERDAS soft- ware, 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 observa- tion 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%） bad 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 ex- posed to a high risk of soil salinity.

Soil Properties and Wheat Growth and Nutrients as Affected by Compost Amendment Under Saline Water Irrigation

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to test and compare the suitability of saline compost and saline irrigation water for nutrient status amendment of a slightly productive sandy clay loam soil, to study the macronutrient utilization and dry matter production of wheat （Triticum aestivum c.v. Gemmiza 7） grown in a modified soil environment and to determine the effects of compost and saline irrigation water on soil productivity. The sandy clay loam soil was treated with compost of five rates （0, 24, 36, 48, and 60 m3 ha-1, equivalent to 0, 3, 4.5, and 6 g kg-1 soil, respectively） and irrigation water of four salinity levels （0.50 （tap water）, 4.9, 6.3, and 8.7 dS m-l）. The results indicated that at harvest, the electrical conductivity （EC） of the soil was significantly （P 〈 0.05） changed by the compost application as compared to the control. In general, the soil salinity significantly increased with increasing application rates of compost. Soluble salts, K, C1, HCO3, Na, Ca, and Mg, were significantly increased by the compost treatment. Soil sodium adsorption ratio （SAR） was significantly affected by the salinity levels of the irrigation water, and showed a slight response to the compost application. The soil organic carbon content was also significantly （P 〈 0.05） affected by application of compost, with a maximum value of 31.03 g kg-1 recorded at the compost rate of 60 m3 ha-1 and the irrigation water salinity level of 8.7 dS m-1 and a minimum value of 12.05 g kg-1 observed in the control. The compost application produced remarkable increases in wheat shoot dry matter production. The maximum dry matter production （75.11 g pot-1） occurred with 60 ma ha-1 compost and normal irrigation water, with a minimum of 19.83 g pot-1 with no addition of compost and irrigation water at a salinity level of 8.70 dS m-1. Significant increases in wheat shoot contents of K, N, P, Na, and C1 were observed with addition of compost. The relatively high shoot N values may be attributed to increases in N availability in the tested soil caused by the compost application. Similarly, significant increases in the shoot contents of Na and C1 may be ascribed to the increase in soil soluble K and Cl. The increases in shoot P, N, and K contributed to the growth stimulation since P supplied by the compost was probably responsible in saline and alkaline soils where P solubility was very low.

Remote Sensing and GIS Application in the Detection of Environmental Degradation Indicators

The main aim of this research is to highlight the environment change indicators during the last 20 years in a representative area of the southern part of Iraq （Basrah Province was taken as a case） to understand the main causes which led to widespread environment degradation phenomena using a 1：250000 mapping scale. Remote sensing and GIS＇s 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 Vegetation Index （NDVI）, Normalized Difference Build-up Index （NDBI）, Normalized Difference Water Index （NDWI）, Normalized Difference Salinity Index （NDSI）, and Topsoil Grain Size Index （GSI） were adopted in this research and used respectively to retrieve its class boundary. The results showed a clear deterioration in vegetative cover （514.9 km2） and an increase of sand dune accumulations （438.6 km2）, accounting for 10.1, and 10.6 percent, respectively, of the total study area. In addition, a decrease in the water bodies＇ area was detected （228.9 kin2）. Sand area accumulations had increased in the total study area, with an annual increasing expansion rate of （33.7 km2 · yr^-1） during the thirteen years covered by the study. It is therefore imperative that Iraqi government undertake a series of prudent actions now that will enable to be in the best possible position when the current environmental crisis ultimately passes.

Designing terraces for the rainfed farming region in Iraq using the RUSLE and hydraulic principles

The rainfed region in Iraq comprises an area of more than 5 million ha of forest,grazing and farmland areas.Except the plains,the region suffers from moderate to severe water erosion due mainly to overgrazing and land mismanagement.Due to population growth and the shortage in water resources,an expansion in land used for agriculture in the region is expected.Terracing is an option when utilizing sloping land for agricultural production.A terrace design criterion was developed for the region in which terrace spacing was determined using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation(RUSLE);terrace channel specifications were determined using conventional hydraulic computations.Analyses showed that terracing is feasible on rolling and hilly sloping land in the high rainfall zone(seasonal rainfall 4600 mm)where economic crops are grown to offset the high cost of terrace construction and maintenance.In the medium and low rainfall zones(seasonal rainfall 400–600 mm and 300–400 mm),terracing for water erosion control is generally not needed on cultivated land less than 10%in slope where wheat and barley crops are normally grown;however,pioneer research projects are needed to assess the feasibility of terraces of the level(detention)type to conserve rain water in these two zones for a more successful rainfed farming venture.