The study deals with the geological situation of Earth's features, and the effect of climate on them, through monitoring changes that have occurred in Earth's features by applying supervised classification represented by maximum likelihood classification using GIS 10.7 for years 1990–2019 to produce maps of desertification and sand dunes encroachment. The factors forming the Earth's features in the study area vary due to the geological structure, geomorphological processes, and climatic factors, which requires an analysis of these processes and their impact on environmental components. The climate of the study area is characterized by continental characteristics causing significant differences in the geomorphological units of the region, especially sand dunes. The most important climate factors affecting the desertification and dunes are the temperature, evaporation, wind speed and rainfall. Three satellite images were used in this study, obtained from Landsat 5-8 besides, the rate annual of temperature, evaporation, wind speed and the total annual of rainfall obtained from European center ECMWF. To obtain high accuracy of classification, an Error Matrix and Kappa Coefficient was processed using ERDAS. The results showed clear changes in the Earth's features with climate during the entire period, where the increase in the rate of temperature and evaporation enhances desertification and encroachment of dunes due to the dryness of the area resulting from the decrease in rainfall rates due to the lack of vegetation growth, as the area of desertification increased to 3028 km2 in 2019, compared with 1990, while the area of dunes double, in the year 2019 compared to the year 1990. dune encroachment changed directly with the winds as a result of wind blowing in a northwestern direction, so the dunes expanded in the south and southwest direction at the expense of cultivated areas as they encroachments by 20 km compared to 1990.

Geodiversity is the variety within abiotic natural elements that include: rocks, minerals, landforms, soil types, and water resources. Recently ecologists and naturalists recognized that there is close relationship between geodiversity and ecosystems. Huwaiza marsh is located south eastern Iraq within Lower Mesopotamian plain. The main rock bed units which crop out north east of the studied area comprises many types of rocks: conglomerate, sandstone, mudstone, siltstone and claystone belong to Bai Hassan, Mukdadiya and Injana Formations. The general elevation of the area ranges around 5 meters (a. s. l.) near the marsh and increase northeast to more than 100 meters (a. s. l.) and the Land forms are: cuesta, oxbow lakes, flood plain, water lake, shallow marshes, mud flats, and sand dunes. Soil (sediments) usually derived from north east rock bed units and from rivers, which are composed of gravel, sand, silt and silty clay. Huwaiza Marsh is provided by water resources from Musharah and Kahlaa distributaries in addition to Al-Teeb and Duwaireeg rivers which enter Al-Sanaf seasonal marsh, then after to Huwaiza Marsh. The later has 1377 km 2 during rainy season and 650 km 2 during dry season. Geodiversity created diverse ecosystems such as: desert (including sand dune), salt flat (sabkha), mud flats and aqueous ecosystem that provided good flora and fauna diversity of which wide range of plant and animal species use the area. Such geodiversity formed the foundation in creation three main terrestrial ecoregions in this area of Iraq. Huwaiza marsh and adjacent area can be used for scientific researches, education, traditional agricultural, ecotourism and for other sustainable developments. Vertebrate biodiversity comprises 27 mammals, 81 birds, 6 reptiles, 3 amphibians, and 9 freshwater fishes. The characteristic vertebrates of each habitat of Huwaiza marsh were indicated. Of interest among them is the presence of African Darter Anhinga rufa in Deep-water marsh habitat; Basra Reed Warbler Acrocephalus griseldis, Goliath heron Ardea goliath, and smooth coated otter Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli in shallow water marsh habitat.

<p>Sandy areas are the main problem in regions of arid and semi-arid climate in the world that threaten urban life, buildings, agricultural, and even human health. Remote sensing is one of the technologies that can be used as an effective tool in dynamic features study of sandy areas and sand accumulations. In this study, two new indices were developed to separate the sandy areas from the non-sandy areas. The first one is called the Normalized Differential Sandy Areas Index (NDSAI) that has been based on the assumption that the sandy area has the lowest water content (moisture) than the other land cover classes. The second other is called the Sandy Areas Surface Temperature index (SASTI) which was built on the assumption that the surface temperature of sandy soil is the highest. The results of proposed indices have been compared with two indices that were previously proposed by other researchers, namely the Normalized Differential Sand Dune Index NDSI and the Eolain Mapping Index (EMI). The accuracy assessment of the sandy indices showed that the NDSAI provides very good performance with an overall accuracy of 89 %. The SASTI can isolate many sandy and non-sandy pixels with an overall accuracy about 86 %. The performance of the NDSI is low with an overall accuracy about 82 %. It fails to classify or isolate the vegetation area from the sandy area and might have better performance in desert environments. The performing of NDSAI that is calculated with the SWIR1 band of the Landsat satellite is better than the performing of NDSI that is calculated with the SWIR2 band of the same satellite. EMI performance is less robust than other methods as it is not useful for extracting sandy surfaces in area with different land covers. Change detection techniques were used by comparing the areas of the sandy lands for the periods from 1987 to 2017. The results showed an increase in sandy areas over four decades. The percentage of this increase was about 20 % to 30 % during 2002 and 2017 compared to 1987.</p>

It is an ideal area of research to examine related indicators to anticipate relative tectonic activities, where there is a broad range of geological formations with elements of different sedimentary rocks. This study includes assessing and evaluating the relative tectonic activities within the Sargalu area by using a morphometric approach, which involved the use of different indices that can explain and help understanding the geometry, development level, lithology, and structural disturbance on a sub-basinal level. The research was accomplished by using ArcGIS 10.5 hydrology tools to design the drainage system of each studied stream. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission Radiometer (ASTER) satellite imagery data and the Digital Elevation Model (DEM 90m) were used. Moreover, Global Mapper and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) were applied. DEM datasets of ASTER were used for watershed delineation. Also, 14 sub-basins were delineated in the Sargalu area. Morphometric indices used include Shape Related Indices, such as Rc, Bs, Rf, Ls, Re, T, and Af. Basin asymmetry factor (Af) and several geomorphic indices were also utilized. Based on the shape related indices (Rc, Rf, Re, Ls, and Cc), the results were found to be similar and, for most sub-basins, had an elongated nature. The elongated basins are connected with tectonically active areas, while the circulated basins are connected with the tectonically undisturbed environment.

River islands represent one of the important geomorphological features within the rivers streams that are formed by long and continuous moving of the waterway. Ten permanent river islands of Euphrates River within the Kufa-Mishkhab sector have been selected for studying and evaluating the geomorphological situations of the permanent river islands using remote sensing in the years 2002-2018. It was noted that the river islands of EuphratesRiver have been affected during those years in the river currents, as well as in both size and shape of the islands due to the extent of the river stream, low slope river floor, the curvature of the river, type of the lithological sedimentary formations and type of the sediments loaded.