Declassified intelligence satellite imagery as a tool to reconstruct past landforms and surface processes: The submerged riverscape of the Tigris River below the Mosul Dam Lake, Iraq

Located along the Tigris River in Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Mosul Dam reservoir is second biggest dam Near East and represents an important water storage for local human activities. The was built between 1981 1988 north village Eski Mosul, submerging course ca 100 km. analysis historical images derived from declassified Corona satellite imagery acquired December 1967 August 1968 reveals pristine pattern River, including seasonal changes its riverbed, shifting across hydrological year meandering to anastomosing patterns. Geomorphological mapping based on allowed estimate modification fluvial elements such as floodplain point, middle, longitudinal bars. comparison with Landsat data collected since 1990ies showed first phases basin filling control present-day aspect lake inherited setting channel belt and, more general, litho-structural over evolution hydrographic network; we also document influence original recent insertion into lake. Our work reconstructing ancient landscape below Lake riverscape controlled by factors variations river discharge. Finally, this contribution highlights relevance intelligence interpreting natural geomorphic processes landforms today altered agency.