Marsh Bulletin

Entirely 21 fish species were collected in East Hammar Marsh (EHM), the highest number 19 was recorded in Al Sadda and the lowest 14 in both Qarmat Ali and Al-Burkha stations. The highest relative abundance value occupied by three exotic species, first Coptodon zillii 19.3%, second by Oreochromis aureus17.6% and third rank was Oerochromis niloticus13.1%. The highest diversity recorded in EHM was 2.29 during November 2023 and the lowest was 1.85 in March 2024. Evenness varies between 0.7 and 0.55 in July 2024 and May 2024 respectively. Richness reaches the maximum 2.15 in November 2024 and lowest 1.3 in March 2024.Yearly grade of BII in EHM 79.42. Jaccard species similarity index scored the highest 69.98% between Qarmat Ali & Al Mansouri stations and the lowest 41.02% Between Qarmat Ali & Al Burkha stations. Sorensen similarity index indicated higher values 80.5 % between Qarmat Ali & Al Mansouri stations and the lowest 64.0% Between Qarmat Ali & Al Burkha stations. Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index reveal that the highest value 37.5 % between Al Mansouri & Al Burkha and the lowest 19.5 % Between Qarmat Ali & Al Mansouri stations. Strong opposite relationship existed between Shannon diversity index, Pielou evenness index, and BII in EHM. Fluctuation in water temperature and salinity effect BII values indirectly. Native fish species ratio showed negative relationship with BII. Generally, there is a slight improvement in BII level at EHM in comparison with that of 2018 and 2020.

This study was conducted monthly in the Al-Qurna district, north of Basra, from October 2023 to July 2024. The purpose was to conduct an environmental survey of the ground plants Suadae aegyptiaca, Alhagi agracorum, Tamarix aucherina, and Cressa cretica in Basra Governorate. Three stations were selected for the study: Nahr al-Ezz Station, Al-Khas area, and Shallah Beit Akab area, located 75 km from the center of Basra. The morphological characteristics of the above-mentioned plants, the environmental factors affecting them, and the quantitative characteristics of these plants were studied. The plant species associated with these plants were also recorded, and the physical and chemical characteristics of the soil and plants were studied, including air temperature, air humidity, soil moisture, pH, salinity, and plant organic matter.
In this study, there are variations in air temperature, with the highest recorded being 45°C at Nahr Al-Ezz station in the summer and the lowest being 10.5°C at the same station and in the winter. The highest air humidity was recorded at 71.5% and 71% in the cold seasons at the first and second stations, and the lowest at 4.1% at the third station (Shalhat Beit Akab) in the hot seasons. As for soil moisture, the highest recorded was 53.84% in the winter at the first station, and the lowest was 12.86% in the summer at the third station. The highest pH value was recorded at 7.60 at the first station in the autumn, and 7.00 at the second station in the winter. As for salinity, the highest concentration was recorded at 3.999 mg/L in the summer at the third station, and the lowest was 1.25 mg/L in the summer at the same station. The organic matter (soil organic carbon) reached the highest rate of 0.332 0.14 g/1 g of soil was recorded at the second station in the fall, and the lowest was 0.14 g/1 g at the third station for the same season. As for the organic matter in the plant, the highest rate was recorded at 0.9 g/1 g at the second station in the summer, and the lowest was 0.18 g/1 g at the first station in the fall.

Shatt Al-Arab River is liable to pollution by crude oil and its derivatives due to its location at an oil rich area which release different hydrocarbons to the land, air, and water. Moreover, it is surrounded by petroleum refineries' which release huge amounts of petroleum hydrocarbons to the atmosphere then directed to the river by rain or particulate fall. Different levels of petroleum hydrocarbons were reported in atmosphere and soil of Basrah City and water, sediments, and fishes of Shatt Al-Arab River. Samples of fallen rain at basrah city, soil and waters from over all Basra province were collected. Pollutants of different kinds such as petroleum hydrocarbons, major ions, heavy and trace metals, pesticides, and radioactive materials arises from industrial, agricultural, domestic, petroleum, as well as military wastes, were detected analytically in the laboratories by GC, AAS, Flame photometry, spectrofluorometry, radiation counts, and other tools. The atmosphere, land, and water of Shatt Al-Arab River are all polluted to a certain level by petroleum hydrocarbons, particulates, and radioactive materials. Most of measured petroleum hydrocarbons are toxic which have different effects upon clarity of environment and finally upon the health of human being

Abstract
Shatt Al-Basrah Canal is an artificial waterway. The primary objective of the canal was to control the water levels of the Shatt Al-Arab River during the flood season. However, their water quality deteriorated after dozens of untreated sewage pipes were poured directly into the canal. The canal currently suffers from extremely high levels of pollution due to the discharge of heavy, untreated sewage from Basrah city, as well as the presence of industrial waste, the power plant, and agricultural land along the canal\'s banks. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the water quality of the Shatt Al-Basrah Canal. Water samples were collected, field and laboratory measurements were conducted quarterly from April 2024 to January 2025. The measurements included 19 environmental factors. The results showed that salinity levels reached 47.42 g/L, a sharp decrease in dissolved oxygen (DO) of 2.1 mg/L, and a significant increase in biological oxygen demand (BOD5) of 18.4 mg/L. Nutrients, meanwhile, recorded a significant increase, with nitrate (NO3) concentrations reaching 16.9 mg/L and effective phosphate concentrations (PO4) reaching 7.2 mg/L. Overall, when comparing the results of current study with the Iraqi standard specifications for River water and wastewater, we note that most of the physical and chemical characteristics of the Shatt Al-Basrah Canal water exceed River characteristics and are very close to those of wastewater. Thus, the canal has become a wastewater discharge channel.

Abstract
The current study aimed to use various multivariate statistical techniques (principal component analysis and cluster analysis) to evaluate Spatio-temporal changes in water quality in the middle section of the Shatt Al-Arab River and identify the most serious problems and their sources. Five stations (Abu-Flous, Mhela, Baradeyea, Maqal, and Mohammadiyat) were chosen along the axis of the middle section of the Shatt Al-Arab River, and one station (Karmat Ali) on the Karmat Ali canal for monthly analysis of 19 water quality variables from December 2020 to November 2021. The principal component analysis reveals that five principal components account for 85.694% of the total variations in the original data. Four major sources were identified as being responsible for changes in water quality over time in the middle section 1- Minerals and dissolved salts 2- organic pollution and nutrient water content (from point and non-point sources of pollutants) 3- natural factors and climatic characteristics of the region 4- The transparency of the water. Cluster analysis classified the study stations into three groups based on their degree of similarity and source of pollution. According to the findings, the middle section of the Shatt Al-Arab River can be divided into three sub-sections (Southern, middle and northern). This sub-division aids in the selection of suitable monitoring stations for the middle section of the Shatt Al-Arab River. Overall, the multivariate statistical techniques used in this study were an excellent tool for analysing and interpreting complex data sets, identifying pollution sources, and understanding Spatio-temporal variations in water quality for effective water quality management.

In this study, the concentration of Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs), grain size distribution, and total organic carbon (TOC%) were determined in sediment samples from five stations along Khor Al-Zubair region, in Basrah southern Iraq. The highest TPHs concentration 12.1586 mg/g was observed at station 5, while the lowest concentration 0.7656 mg/g was recorded at station 3. Regarding grain size, the dominant was mainly clay. As for TOC% The highest concentration was 0.193% found in fifth station, whereas the lowest concentration was recorded 0.076% in the third station. There is a positive correlation between TPHs and TOC (r=0.7507). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of its kind in the Khor Al-Zubair area, thus providing a foundational reference for future research.

Ten thousand four hundred and thirty-five fish were collected from January 2021 to February 2022, belonging to 71 species distributed across 39 families and 20 orders in the intertidal zone of the Shatt al-Arab estuary in the northern Arabian Gulf. The results of the common or resident of fish species in the study area showed only 21.13%, while seasonal species recorded 25.35% and occasional or rare species 53.52%. The study focused on the zonation of the fish recorded in the three regions, as they represented the High (HW), Mean (MW) and Low (LW) waters. In general, the result showed that the the MW is more species with 53 species, followed by HW and LW with 50 species.