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To the Bellams!

Image Jennifer R. Pournelle, August, 2013. Racing toward a coring point near "the place of pebbles," Basra, Iraq. What appears at first glance an idyllic scene, is in fact an aquatic graveyard. In 120-degree heat, the water temperature is well over 90 degrees F; dissolved oxygen levels are zero. The distant cloud of terns, startled skyward by our boats, is feasting on the resulting 2 kilometer-long fish kill. Ragged clumps of reeds clings to a bit of dredging upcast; all beyond is now desert. The canal, filled with backed-up irrigation return water, is toxic to humans and livestock - buffalo bones litter the landscape beyond. So, to the bellams! Here's where our water sampling bagan - and thanks to Jody Pritt, will continue as we work to rework these raw conditions into healthy marsh.

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About This Project

Collapse of the marsh ecosystems of southern Iraq after 1991 forced hundreds of thousands of people into urban slums, and led to contamination of the remaining water supply. We will establish three test beds to see whether brackish water returned from oil drilling and refining can be used to construct new salt marshes. These will filter water, provide forage for livestock, create habitat for fish nurseries, and give new economic opportunities.
Blast off!

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An ecology project funded by 43 people

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