Ancient Iraqi treasures that have withstood the US invasion and later occupation followed by a terrorist war now confront a contemporary threat: being blasted and slowly buried by sandstorms linked to climate change.

In a nation plagued by rising heat and protracted droughts, carefully recovered ancient Babylonian artifacts are gradually vanishing once more beneath wind-blown sand, a new report by AFP highlighted.

One of the countries most severely impacted by climate change, Iraq, saw 12 huge sandstorms last year that turned the sky orange, stopped normal life, and left its citizens gasping for breath.

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When the storms clear, layers of fine sand cover everything -- most notably the Sumerian ruins of Umm Al-Aqarib, "the Mother of Scorpions", in the southern desert province of Dhi Qar.

Iraqi archaeologist Aqeel Al-Mansrawi stated that sandstorms have started to undo years of hard work in the course of uncovering the terracotta façade and several priceless treasures of the temples.

It is worth noting that sand has always been a challenge for archaeologists in Iraq, but the volume is rapidly increasing.

In the past, the biggest threat was the looting of antiquities at the ruins, where pottery fragments and clay tablets bearing ancient cuneiform script have been found.

Now the changing weather and its impact on the land, especially creeping desertification, spell an additional threat to ancient sites all across southern Iraq, said Al-Mansrawi.

"In the next 10 years," he said, "it is estimated that sand could have covered 80 to 90 percent of the archaeological sites."

Lurching from one crisis to another

Iraq is also one of the five countries most impacted by some effects of climate change, including drought, according to the UN.

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The flow of Iraq's major rivers has been decreased due to upstream dams in Turkey, and more water is lost due to the country's antiquated irrigation infrastructure and farming methods.

Iraq is now frequently hit by summer temperatures that reach 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), which force farmers and herders into crowded cities running away from droughts that have dried up agricultural areas.

"The sandstorms became more frequent, the wind became dustier and the temperatures increase," said Jaafar Al-Jotheri, professor of archaeology at Iraq's Al-Qadisiyah University.

"The soil has become more fragile and fragmented because of the lack of vegetation and roots," he explained. 

As more farmers flee the countryside, "their land is left behind and abandoned and its soil becomes more exposed to the wind".

Winds pick up "more sediment fragments that reach the archaeological sites," Al-Jotheri said, adding that the "sand and silt cause physical weathering and disintegration of buildings."

The crisis is compounded by salinization, said Mark Altaweel, professor of Near East Archaeology at University College London.

He went on to explain that in conditions of intense heat, water on the surface of the land evaporates so quickly that the soil is unable to reabsorb the crystals, which are left behind as a crust.

"When it's hyper dry, the water quickly evaporates and that leaves that salt residue," he said, adding that "you can see it on the bricks."

Al-Jotheri said salt in the earth carried by sandstorms causes "chemical weathering for archaeological buildings."

The government "is working to contain the sand dunes," said Chamel Ibrahim, director of antiquities of Dhi Qar province.

He hinted at a plan to plant a "green belt" of trees at a cost of about $3.8 million.

When it comes to climate change, he said, "We are the country facing the most and acting the least. We are at the bottom of the list in terms of acting against climate change."

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