Phytoplankton and Primary Production in Iraqi Marshes

What is it about?

Theses marshes consist of eastern, central, and southern part that is fed with different sources of water from Tigris, Euphrates, and Shatt al-Arab Rivers. The most obvious feature of algal vegetation in this area is the dominance of filamentous epiphytes with other free floating filamentous algae

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Why is it important?

Mesopotamian marshes were once quite famous by their biodiversity and cultural richness. In fact, the area is an important stopover along the flyway of millions of migratory birds between Europe and Africa. However southern Iraqi marshes had faced a deliberate drainage by previous regime in Iraq, and there are several efforts to restore it again.