Assessing Environmental Sensitivity to Desertification in Heet-Haditha Region-Based on Method Multiple Criteria Decision Analyses

Abstract

The study area suffers from significant climatic changes and high salinity, in addition to urban sprawl, which causes desertification. This study aims to analyze the indicators of desertification by means of multi-criteria decision analysis methods and to identify the most effected on the land's sensitivity to desertification. Nine main indicators have been used. The results show that the evaporation index, wind speed, relative humidity, and temperature are among the most sensitive indicators of the desertification phenomenon in the Heet- Haditha region, Iraq.