The Threat of Climate Change to Vegetation Health and Land Degradation in Iraq's Diverse Climatic Environment

The fifth-ranking position determines that Iraq is one of the nation’s facing extreme climate difficulties. Iraq fights against the increase in heat while coping with a lack of precipitation and intensifying dry spells, in addition to facing water shortages and land degradation, along with recurring dust storms. Extreme climate changes have a major impact on environmental stability and farming output, as well as the overall sustainability of the system. This study uses global meteorological data combined with satellite imagery to study the climatic parameter transformations in Iraq from 1981 to 2020, as well as their consequences on water balance, vegetation growth, and land degradation. The research analyses MODIS Vegetation Indices (MOD13) together with 252 satellite images throughout Iraq, starting from 2000 to 2020. Research data helped determine spatial-temporal changes regarding land degradation and vegetation density alongside their relationship to climatic elements. Key climatic variables demonstrate both time-dependent and geographic changes across Iraq between 1981 and 2020, which impact vegetation maintenance while leading to land degradation. The research findings demonstrate concerning temperature growth that average of 0.97°C/decade, because this rapid temperature increase worsens environmental destruction. Rain levels in Iraq have been decreasing throughout the years, until more than 70% of the country receives between 100 to 300mm of annual rainfall. The reduced precipitation has led to rising evapotranspiration losses that amounted to 14,732.18 million m<sup>3</sup> in the second decade, followed by 25,459.13 million m<sup>3</sup> in the third decade, and finally reaching 32,390.20 million m<sup>3</sup> in the fourth decade compared to the first decade. The increased aridity index forces greater adverse impacts on vegetation density, which leads to faster land degradation. The widespread destruction of Iraq's natural lands has reached more than 68% because of desertification processes. The rising climate change dangers to Iraqi ecosystems require immediate adaptations for combating desertification and enhancing land administration methods.