Monitoring the Change in the Thickness of the Ozone Layer Over Iraq Using Remote Sensing Techniques and Geographic Information Systems (GIS Pro) Over A Period Of Twenty Years

Abstract

The climate of Iraq is considered one of the most changeable regions in the Middle East. Despite facing many environmental conditions, the most important of which is the high temperature and humidity above normal, the research aims to monitor the spatial distribution of the ozone layer during three years (2004, 2014, and 2024) and its relationship to temperature and relative humidity over Iraq for a year using Geographic Information Systems Technologies, where data were collected from satellites at 132 stations recorded by the government website (NASA Earth data). The study chose Iraq from north to south over four seasons (winter, summer, autumn, and spring). I used the Geographic Information Systems program to collect, process, and analyze spatial data and the Excel (2016) statistical program to find out the percentage of ozone change over twenty years and the relationship with temperature and humidity. After obtaining the results, it was noted that heat and specific humidity affect ozone gas; the higher the temperature and humidity, the less ozone, with an inverse relationship in most seasons; the ozone gas rate is high, and in the fall the correlation strength is inverse and strong. Statistical results show that the percentage of ozone formation in 2024 was the highest, followed by 2004 and then 2014 (2024 > 2004 > 2014).