Hydrological characteristics of the Tigris River at the Baghdad Sarai station

Abstract

With a length of 1900 Km, the Tigris River flows from South eastern Turkey to five eastern tributaries. It has an average mean discharge at the Baghdad Sarai Station of 916 m3/s for 90 years and an average mean of 615 m3/s for the last 30 years. The probable maximum and minimum discharges during the study period are calculated using statistical analysis, with 10% and 90% probabilities. The analysis results show that the Gamble method is more dependable than the other methods, which is proven with actual flood measurements in 1941 (7637 m3/s) and 1954 (7100 m3/s) for a 100- year returning period. The data records of discharges between two periods of 1906–1946 and 1930–2019 are covered in this study. Overall, in the last 30 years, the flow discharges have decreased by 33% from monthly means mainly because of the construction of Turkey’s GAP project, especially the Ilisu Dam.

Keywords

• Tigris River
• Flood measurements
• Stage-discharge
• Water management
• Water resources of Iraq