Mesopotamian Journal of Marine Science

Typha domingensis is considered one of the most important plants endemic in Iraq and is widely used in adsorption due to its global distribution in natural environments and its ability to survive in contaminated sites. The samples were collected from various areas in Basrah province southern Iraq and were exploited for removed of lead ions (Pb+2) from its aquatic solution. Several parameters (pH, contact time, temperature and mixing speed) were studied to obtaining optimal conditions for Pb+2 removals. Flame atomic absorption Spectrometry (FAAS) was used to measure the concentration of lead and the adsorption ratio on adsorbent surface, which showed high efficiency to remove Pb+2 (95.9 %) at pH 6.5, 10 min, 15 ºC, and 200 rpm. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were used to determine the surface morphology and functional groups. The optimum conditions were applied to a real sample of industrial waste and showed an adsorption ratio of 32.4%.

The Tide River of Iraq, The Shatt al-Arab River is generated by the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers at the city of Qurna, which is located northern of the Al-Basra Governorate due to climate change and excessive consumption, the flow of the two rivers decreased which resulted in a high percentage of dissolved solids in the river, which caused the river to become salinized as a result of salt wedge intrusion. This study's primary goal is to model the Shatt Al-Arab River's hydraulic response to a proposed barrage in Al Seba to reduce the salinity. In this study, to evaluate the effect of the suggested block dam, a one-dimensional unsteady model was created using HEC-RAS 5.0.7. Four discharge instances, with low and moderate discharges of (20-50-100 and 250 m3/s) and the selected spring tide cycle, were selected. There are four barrage gate cases. (totally open, 50% open, programmed opening, and fully closed) were used in the operation scenarios. The research shows that the examined discharges will significantly affect navigation depths, particularly when gates are programmed to open with stages dropping approximately (0.6 - 1.2) m in comparison to the normal situation. Also, according to the velocity indicators, the barrage's large velocity reduction upstream increased the amount of silt within the river's stream. As a result, a Suggested Barrage is needed on the south reach to avoid salt intrusion.

The study aimed to investigate the effects of different cooking methods (hot water T1, traditional stove T2 or autoclave cooking T3) on the chemical composition, fatty acid content and amino acid profile of fish diets. Variations in chemical composition moisture, ash, fat, and protein with fatty acid and amino acids profiles were also studied. The variations in chemical composition (moisture, ash, fat, and protein) (fatty acid amino acids) content and composition. The results showed variation in nutritional components with different cooking methods and significant differences (p < 0.05) between treatments. Diet-extracted oils contained 15 different fatty acids with varying percentages, with the total saturated fatty acids (SFA) being 23.72%, 23.97%, and 25.00% for diets T1, T2 and T3 respectively. The results indicated that the processed diets contained 18 amino acids, including both essential and non-essential amino acids, with a balanced composition and varying percentages among the processed diets. The total essential amino acids increased from 19.93 µg/100 µg protein in diet T3 to 20.36 µg/100 µg protein in diet T1 and 20.23 µg/100 µg protein in diet T2. The study concluded the importance of selecting the appropriate processing method for fish diet manufacturing and highlighted the need to examine changes in the chemical properties of nutritional components and the impact of temperature on nutrient digestibility and fish diet utilization., It seems that diet prepared using only hot water gave the best results.

Soil samples were collected at a depth of 0 to 20 cm from 11 oil fields in the Basrah governorate (Seba, Safwan, Majnoon, Ratawi, Bergezia, West Qurna2, West Qurna1, Shuaaba, South and North Rumaila, and Al Zubair). The analysis of every hydrocarbon component was done using gas chromatography and a flame ionization detector. Total n-alkanes have the highest mean concentrations in soil (341.666µg/g dry weight) at Station 7, and the lowest mean concentrations (178.874µg/g dry weight) at Station 4. The CPI readings range from 0.251 in the spring at Station 8 to 1.880 in the summer at Station 5. When the CPI value is more than one, it suggests that the n-alkanes originated biogenically from bacteria, algae, and the wax found on the leaves of vascular higher plants. The C17/Pristane and C18/Phytane Ratios, which show the source of alkanes in soil, indicated that the petroleum had weathered and become older in the soil, whereas the majority of soil samples included isoprenoids, such as phytane and pristane. There were also cases of Unresolved Complex Mixture (UCM). The findings showed that the aliphatic hydrocarbons came from both biogenic and anthropogenic sources. N-alkane distribution is bimodal: odd carbon numbers (C21, C22, C23, C24, and C25) predominate in the Low Molecular Weight (C13-C25) and indicate bacterial activity, while odd carbon numbers (C29, C30, C31, and C32) predominate in the High Molecular Weight (C26-C36), suggesting a source of higher plant wax. Both biogenic and manmade factors contributed to the majority of the oil field.

The study of primary productivity in the Karmat Ali River in the southern Iraq, is the first study that addressed this topic, which aimed to evaluate the level of primary productivity in that area by identifying four sites along the river, namely (Al-Najibiya, Al-Mashhab , Al-Nagara and Al-Salal). Samples were collected seasonally starting from Winter until Autumn from year 2022, with reference to some environmental factors that may affect the values of primary productivity. The results of the study showed that the lowest level of primary productivity was in the Summer at site Al-Najibiya, as it reached 25.5 mg Carbon/m3 .hr., while its highest level appeared during the Spring at site (Al-Mashhab ), as it reached 342.18 mg Carbon/m3.hr., while the temperature ranged between 11.8-33.4 Cͦ, salinity between 2.6-9.5 ppt , pH 7-8.6 , dissolved oxygen 1.6-15.5mg/l , turbidity 1.3-33.5NTU , reactive phosphate 0.01-0.21 mg/l, reactive nitrate 0.32-19.9mg/l , and as for the biomass represented by chlorophyll-a-, it ranged between 7.3-39.32mg/m3. The results also showed, through canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), that primary productivity values were closely related to chlorophyll a values, while turbidity was in the opposite direction.

Global sales of mineral water have increased considerably to reach a value of more than 35 billion US dollars, mainly due to public perceptions of its purity and safety, as well as public concerns about the quality of tap water. A total of 24 samples (12 reverse osmosis (RO) water samples taken from three regions and 12 samples of three brands of bottled water) were collected randomly. The samples were analyzed using the membrane filtration technique for their bacteriological quality (total and fecal coliforms per 100 mL). In addition, physiochemical analyses were undertaken to determine the dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, temperature, pH, total dissolved salts, turbidity, nitrate, calcium, magnesium, and chloride ions. Out of 12 RO water samples tested only 9 (75%) gave positive results for total coliforms, while 6 (50%) gave positive results for fecal coliforms. In contrast, 3 (25%) samples of bottled water gave positive test for total coliforms and 6 (50%) were positive for fecal coliforms. Both the RO and bottled water were contaminated with total and fecal coliforms, especially in hot months, and they reached unacceptable limits. Meanwhile, the physiochemical parameters were within acceptable limits, except in one sample, where the values of ions of calcium, magnesium, and chloride had been risen. According to the results obtained in this study, there should be a review of the water treatment process by water laboratories, especially in the summer, and there should be follow-ups by the inspection teams from the health and environment departments.