Chemical properties of selected contaminated soils in Basrah City, Southern Iraq

Abstract EN

The main objective of this study are both analyzing the chemical properties of soil quality in the urban area of Basra City, southern Iraq, and identifying the contamination effect on seasonal and spatial variations in chemical properties of the selected soil samples.

Soil samples were collecting from known contaminated sites during winter and summer seasons of 2009.

Sampling sites were selecting from various urban land-use patterns.

The results of chemical parameters of soils in the study area have shown that seasonally and spatially varied, and that soil quality is deteriorating because of combined anthropogenic and natural factors.

It has been indicating that, on average, soil quality was highly saline in terms of EC index, slightly alkaline in terms of pH index, and sodic-saline in terms of the US salinity Lab index.

The main reason for this urban soil degradation it can be concluded due to the effects of contamination caused by various urban activities.