Geographical Analysis of Soil Degradation in Diyala Governorate Using Index of Remote Sensing (RS)

Abstract

It was found through the research that the type of high-salt land recorded an area of (4204.81) km2 in the year 1993. This area was less than in previous years as a result of the increase in the amount of water for this year, which helped wash the soil and reduce the area of salty land, while this percentage increased during the year 1999 to be (6945.46) km2, then this area increased during the two years (2001-2009) to record an area of (5980.10-6595.71). This increase in the area of salty lands came as a result of the decrease in the amount of water in these years, which helped increase the salinity of the soil and strip it of vegetation.

It also became clear that the index of high humidity in vegetation cover recorded an increasing area during the years (1993-1999), amounting to (1161.86-1256.97) km2 for each of them, respectively, as a result of the increase in moderately eroded lands during these years, while that area decreased during the years (2001- 2009) to record an area of (1185.85-1063.943) km2 for each of them, respectively, and the reason for the decrease in the level of humidity is as a result of the decrease in the area of moderately eroded lands. As for the low-humidity type of land, an area recorded during the year 1993 amounted to (13075.87) km2, which is the smallest area recorded. During the years of study, in the year 1999, that area increased to reach (14204.44) km2, while that area decreased during the year 2001 to record an area of (14037.72) km2, then it rose again to record the highest area during the year 2009, when it reached (14445.35) km2.