U.S.-Iraq Cooperative Research: The Mesopotamian Marshlands from Disintegration to Restoration

项目描述：该项目支持纽约州立大学布法罗分校地质系Mohamed Sultan博士和伊拉克提克里特大学应用地质系Sabbar Al-Kaisy博士以及科威特科学研究所环境科学系Ahmad Al-Dousari博士的合作研究。他们寻求更好地了解美索不达米亚沼泽的土地覆盖和土地利用变化（LCLUC），这是对筑坝和引水做法造成的淡水供应减少的反应，并监测正在进行的恢复。档案遥感数据和地理信息系统应用将用于评估和监测LCLUC。将产生一个基于网络的地理信息系统数据库来存放数据（实地和卫星）和解释。将汇编时间遥感数据和沼泽的有关地图，并共同登记到统一的UTM投影。将对遥感数据进行处理，以尽量减少外来的光谱变化。将这些产品拼接在一起，并将变化检测技术应用于归一化数据，以监测整个沼泽的时空LCLUC。结果将根据现有地图和已公布的地面真实数据进行校准。一个培训部分将在美国进行，以使外国科学家能够执行概述的任务。该项目的最终目标是记录整个美索不达米亚沼泽在过去四十年以及整个项目期间（2004-2006年）LCLUC的时空变化。这将包括发展监测一般沼泽地，特别是美索不达米亚沼泽的时间和空间演变的方法，并产生为整个底格里斯河-幼发拉底河流域建立和校准区域水文模型所需的一套数据。需要这些模型来预测工程项目对沼泽地和海湾生态系统的影响。所制订的综合方法将适用于干旱和半干旱国家的其他湿地。范围和更广泛的影响：将收集过去几十年来水坝和排水计划的发展对美索不达米亚沼泽地变化的影响的数据，这些变化现在大部分被盐覆盖的沙漠所取代，以及过去几个月在当地观察到的环境恢复的迹象。一些研究生和本科生，包括女性，将接受各种最先进的遥感、地理信息系统和水文研究工具的培训。产出（美索不达米亚沼泽的时空变化）是指导正在进行的恢复沼泽地活动的重要数据集。数据和解释将利用基于网络的地理信息系统技术广泛传播。该项目将促进美国、伊拉克和科威特之间的国际科学合作。

0424104 SultanDescription: This project supports a collaborative research between Dr. Mohamed Sultan, Department of Geology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York and Dr. Sabbar Al-Kaisy, Department of Applied Geology, University of Tikrit, Tikrit, Iraq and Dr. Ahmad Al-Dousari, Environmental Sciences Department, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait-Safat, Kuwait. They seek a better understanding of the temporal land cover and land use changes (LCLUC) that occurred over the Mesopotamian marshes in response to the reduced fresh water supply induced by damming and water diversion practices and to monitor the ongoing recovery. Archival remote sensing data and GIS applications will be applied to assess and monitor LCLUC. A web-based GIS database will be generated to host the data (field and satellite-based) and interpretations. Temporal remote sensing data and relevant maps for the marshes will be compiled and co-registered to a unified UTM projection. The remote sensing data will be processed to minimize extraneous spectral variations. The products will be mosaicked together, and change detection techniques will be applied to the normalized data in order to monitor temporal and spatial LCLUC across the marshes. The results will be calibrated against available maps and published ground truth data. A training component will be conducted in the USA to enable the foreign scientists to conduct the outlined tasks. An ultimate goal of this project is to document the spatial and temporal variations in LCLUC over the entire Mesopotamian marshes over the past four decades and throughout the duration of the project as well (2004-2006). This will include the development of methodologies for monitoring the temporal and spatial evolution of marshlands in general, and the Mesopotamian marshes in particular, and the generation of a data set that is needed to construct and to calibrate regional hydrologic models for the entire Tigris-Euphrates basin. The models are needed to predict the impacts of engineering projects on the marshlands and the Gulf ecosystems. The integrated methodology developed will be applicable to other wetlands in arid and semi-arid countries. Scope and broader impacts: Data will be collected on the effect of development of dams and drainage schemes over the past decades on the changes in the Mesopotamian marshlands that are now largely replaced by salt-encrusted deserts, and the signs of environmental recovery locally observed in the last few months. Several graduate and undergraduate students, including women, will be trained in a variety of state-of-the-art remote sensing, GIS, and hydrologic research tools. The outputs (spatial and temporal variations of the Mesopotamian marshes) are essential data sets for guiding the ongoing activities to revive the marshlands. The data and interpretations will be widely disseminated using web-based GIS technologies. The project will promote international scientific cooperation between the U.S., Iraq, and Kuwait.