The Department of Ecology at the College of Science, University of Basra, organized a workshop on the impact of saltwater intrusion on the species composition of diatoms in the eastern part of the Hammar Marshes.

The workshop aimed to highlight the changes in diatom species in the Hammar Marshes caused by saltwater intrusion and the resulting disruptions to the nutrition and habitat of other aquatic life.

The workshop, presented by Dr. Maitham Abdullah Ghali, a faculty member in the Department of Ecology, included a review of field and laboratory work, tables of identified species, and their different environmental preferences. The results showed a dominance of species that prefer brackish water, a decrease in the proportion of freshwater species, and an increase in marine species, which threatens aquatic life in this area.

The workshop recommended the necessity of focusing on the freshwater resources supplied to the marshes to save the environment from collapse and preserve this important environmental and historical heritage.