Impact of Climate Changes on the Hydrochemistry of Razaza Lake and Rahaliya – Shithatha Springs – Central Iraq

Abstract

The climate parameters, rainfall, temperature data for more than forty years for three Iraqi meteorological stations (Baghdad, Basra, and Mosul) were studied .The results show good evidence of climate change indicated by the remarkable decrease of the average means annual rainfall in the studied stations, with the remarkable increase of the average minimum annual temperature. The impact of the climatic change on the hydrochemistry of Razaza lake and Rahaliya – Shithatha springs was obvious in increasing the water salinity as studied for years 1995 and 2013. The average mean annual rainfall for ten years intervals indicate that there were a remarkable decrease in amount of rainfall from 90 mm for the period 1992-2001 to about 71 mm for the period 2002- 2013.  The Razzaza lake water has indicated that chloride group and one major family (Chloride-sodium family) is the dominant for years 1995 and 2013 with increase of Mg ions during 2013. The Rahaliya – Shithatha springs’ water has showed that the sulphate and chloride groups are dominant for years 1995 and 2013, with increase of sulphate group to 80% during 2013.

Keywords: Climatic changes, hydrochemistry, Razaza lake and Rahaliya – Shithatha springs, Iraq.