The Restoration Potential of the Mesopotamian Marshes of Iraq

@article{Richardson2005TheRP,
  title={The Restoration Potential of the Mesopotamian Marshes of Iraq},
  author={Curtis J. Richardson and Peter C. Reiss and Najah A. Hussain and Azzam Alwash and Douglas J. Pool},
  journal={Science},
  year={2005},
  volume={307},
  pages={1307 - 1311}
}
Uncontrolled releases of Tigris and Euphrates River waters after the 2003 war have partially restored some former marsh areas in southern Iraq, but restoration is failing in others because of high soil and water salinities. Nearly 20% of the original 15,000-square-kilometer marsh area was reflooded by March 2004, but the extent of marsh restoration is unknown. High-quality water, nonsaline soils, and the densest native vegetation were found in the only remaining natural marsh, the Al-Hawizeh… 
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175 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
10
Background Citations
69
Methods Citations
3
Results Citations
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175 Citations

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Simulating restoration of the Iraqi Mesopotamian marshland

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An assessment of vegetation and environmental controls in the 1970s of the Mesopotamian wetlands of southern Iraq

A vast ecosystem of wetlands and lakes once covered the Mesopotamian Plain of southern Iraq. Widespread drainage in the 1990s nearly obliterated both components of the landscape. This paper reports…
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