Analysis and Detection of Inundation in Al-Hammar and Central Marshes/ Southern Iraq Using Google Earth Engine

A study analyzing inundation patterns in the Al-Hammar and Central Marshes of southern Iraq reveals significant fluctuations influenced by hydrological factors, with notable flood years including 1946, 1954, and 2019, while scarcity peaked in 2018. Using the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI) via Google Earth Engine, researchers processed over 10,000 Landsat scenes to detect changes in marsh inundation. The analysis found moderate correlations between hydrological data and inundation for the Tigris (R² = 0.5) and weaker correlations for the Euphrates (R² = 0.4). These findings highlight the marshes' vulnerability to external factors, including dam operations and rainfall patterns, underscoring their ecological significance as part of Iraq's UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site.

Al-Mamalachy, Y., & Al-Saedi, Z. J. (2022). ANALYSIS AND DETECTION OF INUNDATION IN AL-HAMMAR AND CENTRAL MARSHES/ SOUTHERN IRAQ USING GOOGLE EARTH ENGINE. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.7018224