Results, Analysis and Discussion - Historical Land Use/Land Cover Classification Using Remote Sensing - page 166

Fig. 6.4 The spatial distributions classification of the five major LULC-categories in the ERB
for the data of TERRA-ASTER fused with LANDSAT-ETM+/SLC-Off/corrected acquired in
May-2005
species have started to compete with the two main crops, because of their better
financial outcomes and the possibility of farming fields for three seasons instead of
two. Figure 6.6 presents the temporal development of the irrigated areas for the
years 1975, 1987, 2005, and 2007 using different remotely sensed data. Table 6.2
presents the statistics of the extension of the irrigated areas over different times. It
presents also the areas rates of the other two general classes, i.e., uncultivated
areas and water.
Cultivation of sugar beet within the irrigation areas has clearly decreased
(Table 6.3 ), because the high salinity of soil and irrigation water, which make the
crop less sweet. At present, this crop is mainly used as animal feed.
The agrarian plains directly on the banks of the Euphrates River, specifically,
those extending from Arraqqa to Deir Azzour, are relatively small extended plains
in a north-south direction. They are mainly limited between high rocky cliffs (old
river terrace) in the south and the Al-Badia/pasture in the north. After passing the
pasture Al-Badia, the agrarian lands emerge again in the second, third and fourth
agrarian settlement areas. The river plains are characterized by their very small
fields and variation of crops even in the one field. Many farmers divide their fields
into parts—a section for economic income, one for providing animals with food,
and another for vegetables and fruit for domestic use. These plains are crossed by
lots of trees and scattered houses. These factors decrease the ability of the used