Spectral Indices of Selected Physical Properties Influencing Dust Storms in Southern Iraq: A Case Study of Al-Kutaia Region

Abstract

       The research employed remote sensing techniques to monitor environmental degradation in the study area by analyzing indicators ((NDVI, SI, TCI, BSI), and the results revealed a sharp seasonal variation; the vegetation cover recorded a surge in its “dense” category in the summer at a rate of (33.2%) as a result of irrigated agriculture, which is countered by an alarming decline in water bodies to (2.5%). The study also identified the dominance of “low salinity” at a rate of (65.1%) in August due to severe evaporation, coinciding with the expansion of the medium erosion area to include (67.9%) of the area, which turned the region into an active hotspot for the emergence of dust storms.