Monitoring The Vitality Of Vegetation Covers Based On Drought Indicators For Gara Mount For The Period (2014-2024) A.D. In Northern Iraq

Abstract

The vegetation cover and vitality of the Mount Gara region located in northern Iraq were monitored through drought indices (TCI, VHI, VCI), using Landsat-8 OLI/TIRS satellite data in the month of August for each of the years 2014, 2018, 2024. The results of the drought index (VCI) for the year 2014 showed a difficult year for the Mount Gara region, where the extreme drought category was the most prevalent, covering an area of (81.04%). In 2018, the region witnessed a remarkable improvement in environmental conditions and vegetation cover, as the percentage of areas classified as extreme drought decreased to (9.67) %, while the percentage of the extreme drought category increased from (9.67) % in 2018 to (14.23) % in 2024, As for the TCI, in 2014, the category of extreme drought covered about 94.05% of the area (54.90 km²), but by 2018, this percentage decreased to only 8.14% (4.75 km²), and between 2018 and 2024, a near-complete alleviation of drought severity is expected, highlighting a significant shift in temperature dynamics on the Earth's surface. The extreme drought conditions, which recorded 8.14% with an area of 4.75 km² in 2018, declined to a small percentage of 0.45% with an area of 0.26 km² by 2024, with a decrease of (-4.49 km²). As for VHI In 2014, the extreme drought category was the most widespread, covering about 79.66% of the total area. However, this category witnessed a significant decrease by 2018, dropping to (1.86) % of the area, equivalent to (1.08) km², while in 2024, the extreme drought category witnessed a further decrease, reaching to only (0.27) % of the studied area, equivalent to (0.45) km², compared to (1.86) % in 2018, representing a decrease of (-0.81) km².