Current Water Anomalies: Syria and Iraq

Composite water anomaly index map Syria and Iraq  Mar 2015 - May 2015. Blues indicate more water than usual, reds less water than usual. Units are in “return period” (the inverse of the probability of seeing an anomaly of that magnitude or…

Composite water anomaly index map Syria and Iraq  Mar 2015 - May 2015. Blues indicate more water than usual, reds less water than usual. Units are in “return period” (the inverse of the probability of seeing an anomaly of that magnitude or worse).

ISIS operates in a swath of territory including eastern Syria and western Iraq.  The map depicts water anomalies forecast for March through May 2015.  Much of the region will be drier than normal, with a significant area in western Iraq experiencing deficits with return periods of 20 years or more.