EVALUATING TEMPORAL VARIATIONS IN SOIL DETERIORATION IN IRAQ’S KARMA DISTRICT USING SPECTRAL INDICATORS

This study used spectral indicators to analyze the temporal changes relating to land deterioration and increased desertification in the Al-Karma district of the Anbar governorate in Iraq. Desertification is the main reason for the loss of agricultural lands in the study area and the rise in related environmental issues. The study area was located between two terrain regions: the alluvial plain and the island region between latitudes 33o 41’ 30” N and 33o 19’ 00” S and longitudes 44o 10’ 00” E and 42o 10’ 20” W. The study analyzed the environmental elements and data using GIS and RS systems and technologies, in addition to fieldwork. The NDVI vegetation index, NDBI urban mass index, and the LDI soil degradation index were used to compare desertification trends between 2002 and 2023. The indicators revealed the higher levels of desertification in the study area, with the NDVI showing an increase in plantless areas from 42 km2 in 2002 to 688 km2 in 2023 while densely planted lands declined markedly in the same period from 522 km2 to 35 km2. The NDBI registered an increase in area for medium- and high-density urban land categories to 181 km2 and 691 km2, respectively, while soil degradation based on the LDI increased from 99 km2 to 245 km2 over the two years