Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p>The Al-Chibayish Marshes of southern Iraq form a shallow wetland environment where aquatic plants, roots, buried organic residues and bottom sediment interact as coupled biotic-abiotic compartments controlling trace-element retention. This study presents an original plant-sediment geochemical assessment based on author-generated elemental data, original Tensor 27 FTIR spectra and remote-sensing environmental context. The analytical design uses the laboratory sample names Aziza, Typha root, Typha stem, Typha leaves, Jolan, Tarfa, Shamblan and Bottom sediment. Trace elements showed strong matrix-specific partitioning. Shamblan (Ceratophyllum sp.) had the highest Cd, Ni, Li, Cu and Mn concentrations, reaching 70.6, 73.6, 61.8, 48.1 and 409 mg kg-1, respectively. Bottom sediment contained the highest As, Se, Co, Ca and ash, reaching 179 mg kg-1 As, 88.6 mg kg-1 Se, 21.9 mg kg-1 Co, 63,350 mg kg-1 Ca and 55.48% ash. Typha root showed the strongest root-zone signal for Cr, Fe and Pb. FTIR spectra indicated hydroxyl, aliphatic, carbonyl/amide, ether/methoxy, sulfur-associated and fingerprint-region features that are relevant to organic-matter transformation and contaminant-binding capacity. Satellite-derived NDVI, NDWI/MNDWI, NDMI, LST, BSI, inundation frequency and sediment exposure frequency were used only to describe hydrological and ecological context. The results support a conservative model in which submerged macrophytes, emergent roots and mineral-rich sediment form linked retention compartments whose behavior can shift during inundation, exposure and drying-rewetting cycles.</p>