Assessment of the Relative Adequacy of Landfills as a Means of Solid Waste Disposal in Malaysia

This study examined the relative adequacy of active landfills between states in Malaysia. The percentages of closed landfills were determined. The accessibility and loading of the landfills were examined. The characteristics of each landfill studied were noted. The study involved the compilation and analyses of data on groundwater, stream water and current land use surrounding landfills. Results of the study showed that the number of active landfills was not adequate to handle solid waste disposal. The potential of alternative approaches was examined and discussed.     

Improving WRF-Hydro runoff simulations of heavy floods through the sea surface temperature fields with higher spatio-temporal resolution

This study investigates the impact of the spatio-temporal accuracy of four different sea surface temperature (SST) datasets on the accuracy of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)-Hydro system to simulate hydrological response during two catastrophic flood events over the Eastern Black Sea (EBS) and the Mediterranean (MED) regions of Turkey. Three time-variant and high spatial resolution external SST products (GHRSST, Medspiration and NCEP-SST) and one coarse-resolution and time-invariant SST product (ERA5- and GFS-SST for EBS and MED regions, respectively) already embedded in the initial and the boundary conditions datasets of WRF model are used in deriving near-surface atmospheric variables through WRF. After the proper event-based calibration is performed to the WRF-Hydro system using hourly and daily streamflow data in both regions, uncoupled model simulations for independent SST events are conducted to assess the impact of SST-triggered precipitation on simulated extreme runoff. Some localized and temporal differences in the occurrence of the flood events with respect to observations depending on the SST representation are noticeable. SST products represented with higher cross-correlations (GHRSST and Medspiration) revealed significant improvement in flood hydrographs for both regions. The GHRSST dataset shows a substantial improvement in NSE (~70%), RMSE reduction up to 20%, and an increase in correlation from 0.3 to 0.8 with respect to the invariable SST (ERA5) in simulated runoffs over the EBS region. The use of both GHRSST and Medspiration SST data characterized with high spatio-temporal correlation resulted in runoff simulations exactly matching the observed runoff peak of 300 m³/s by reducing the overestimation seen in invariable SST (GFS) in the MED region. Improved precipitation simulation skills of the WRF model with the detailed SST representation show that the hydrographs of GHRSST and Medspiration simulations show better performance compared to the simulated hydrographs by observed precipitation.     

Ionic liquid as a medium to remove iron and other metal ions: a case study of the North Kelantan Aquifer,Malaysia

An alternative iron removal treatment method using liquid-liquid extraction with the room-temperature ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, as a solvent medium was studied. The chelating agent 1,10-phenanthroline was used as the extractant. The extraction of Fe(III) and Fe(II) was influenced significantly by the pH of the aqueous phase. The successful removal of iron was achieved; more than 95 % of the initial iron concentration was removed from the groundwater samples. However, detailed research is needed before the ionic liquid method can replace the conventional groundwater treatment protocol because the recovery rate was very low upon reuse (approximately 25–60 %). This low recovery was due to the ion exchange process; the appearance of anions from ionic liquids was also detected in groundwater samples.     

Simulation of horizontal well performance using Visual MODFLOW

A proposed horizontal well or radial collector well installation in shallow aquifers to enhance water withdrawal rates in Pintu Geng well field in Kelantan, Malaysia was simulated using the Drainage Package of MODFLOW groundwater model. The modelling exercise aimed at identifying an optimum pumping rate that would safely achieve the desired drawdown of less than 2 m in an area of 300 m radius surrounding the Pintu Geng horizontal collector well. The model also would serve as a basis for the design of the horizontal well components. High degree of grid refinement for the well location is needed to simulate the real field installation. However, for the purpose of designing water withdrawal systems, it is important to obtain the correct production rate of these wells for a given drawdown. A transient groundwater flow model was calibrated and validated with few assumptions of the horizontal well hydraulic properties. The model demonstrates that under natural flow condition at ?3 m depth, the six collectors (drains) tap a volume of 19,200–43,700 m³/day. A steady-state model was also developed to predict the capture zone delineation. Attention is also given to the impact of the well installation to the surrounding 300 m radius by inspecting the degree of the drawdown.     

Elemental hydrochemistry assessment on its variation and quality status in Langat River, Western Peninsular Malaysia

This paper discusses the hydrochemistry variation and its quality status in Langat River, based on the chemistry of major ions, metal concentrations and suitability for drinking purposes. Water samples were collected from 30 different stations to assess their hydrochemical characteristics. The physico-chemical parameters selected were temperature, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), salinity, dissolved oxygen , pH, redox potential, HCO₃, Cl, SO₄, NO₃, Ca, Na, K, Mg, ²⁷Al, ¹³⁸Ba, ⁹Be, ¹¹¹Cd, ⁵⁹Co, ⁶³Cu, ⁵²Cr, ⁵⁷Fe, ⁵⁵Mn, ⁶⁰Ni, ²⁰⁸Pb, ⁸⁰Se and ⁶⁶Zn to investigate the variation of the constituents in the river water. Most of the parameters comply with the Drinking Water Quality Standard of the World Health Organization and the Malaysian National Standard for Drinking Water Quality by the Malaysia Ministry of Health except for EC, TDS, Cl, HCO₃, SO₄, Na, Mg, Al, Fe and Se. The results show that the Langat River is unsuitable for drinking purposes directly without treatment.     

Archaeological exploration using magnetic and GPR methods at the first court of Hatshepsut Temple in Luxor, Egypt

The Hatshepsut Temple at Luxor, southern Egypt was built as a garden for Amun, and the first court indeed had exotic trees and vegetations. The pathway to the temple was along a sphinx-lined causeway linking the valley to pylons, which are missing now. As an effort to outline remains of the vanished garden and missing pylons and any other possible archaeological structures at this first court site, an extensive integrated magnetic/ground-penetrating radar (GPR) geophysical survey was conducted. The magnetic survey covered the entire area of the first court (100?×?60 m), while the GPR survey covered only an area of 50?×?50 m. The acquired GPR data were processed and presented as 2-D depth sections providing a reasonable vertical/horizontal resolution for the upper 6 m of the investigated site. The acquired magnetic data was processed and presented as 2-D image. The integrated interpretation of the acquired GPR and magnetic data revealed some archaeological features including a rectangular depression which is presumably an ancient man-made pond in the garden of the temple, a rectangular feature that may be a foundation of the missing pylon of the temple, and a suite of aligned anomalies that could be the remnants of sphinx. Such findings reflect the archaeological potentiality of the surveyed site and outline the extension of the temple. Meanwhile, these results necessitate further geophysical investigation or archaeological excavation to be confirmed.     

Groundwater beneath the urban area of Khan Younis City,southern Gaza Strip (Palestine): hydrochemistry and water quality

Arabian Journal of Geosciences - This paper presents the results of a groundwater hydrochemical assessment in the urban area of Khan Younis City in the southern Gaza Strip by measuring its...     

Probabilistic frequency ratio model for groundwater potential mapping in Al Jaww plain,UAE

Arabian Journal of Geosciences - The United Arab Emirates, as a part of the Arabian Peninsula, is among the driest countries on earth. This study aims to map and explore new groundwater reservoirs...     

A classification of polar cap auroral arcs

Global auroral imagery obtained by DMSP satellites during the years 1972–1979 over both the northern and southern high latitude polar regions were examined to study the morphology of the discrete arcs known as polar cap arcs. Based upon their morphology, the polar cap arcs can be generally classified into three types viz. (1) the distinctly sun-aligned polar cap arcs—Type 1 arcs, (2) the morning/evening polar cap arcs expanded from the auroral oval—Type 2 arcs and (3) the hook shaped arcs connecting the polar cap arc with the oval arc (including the hitherto unreported oppositely oriented hook shaped arcs)—Type 3 arcs. Concurrent auroral electrojet indices (AE) and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) data were used to study the occurrence of the polar cap arcs. It was found that Type 1 arcs were observed mostly during low geomagnetic activity conditions, bright Type 2 arcs during the recovery phase of the substorms and Type 3 arcs do not occur during the recovery phase of the substorm. Over both hemispheres, the polar cap arcs were observed mostly during northward IMF. Furthermore, Type 1 arcs were obeserved over the northern polar cap during mostly negative B_x periods and over the southern polar cap during mostly positive B_x periods. The latter observation suggests that these types of arcs may be non-conjugate.     

Ramadan and Bussorah Street: the spirit of place

The presence of ‘seasonal spaces’ such as the Ramadan-related activities associated with Bussorah Street, Singapore, during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan surfaces significant issues on the convergence and management of identity, heritage, space and conservation important to all Singaporeans. Conservation projects to ‘prettify’ or commodify the historic district of Kampong Glam, which contains Bussorah Street had to be revised to include the local tradition of the Ramadan food bazaar but at the adjoining Kandahar Street. Undoubtedly, what is being underlined by this seasonal space is the affirmation of identity, the reclamation of space and the possibility for improved management and economic viability of the Kampong Glam district. However, as stressed in the paper, that while the spirit of Bussorah Street can be construed as forms of spatial or cultural resilience, the new Malay Heritage Centre (Taman Warisan Melayu) located in the district acts as a strong reminder that, ultimately, ‘seasonal spaces’ are still subjected to the calculated considerations of the Singapore urban planners or the governing elite with significant implications for those with strong ethnic and religious connections with the area and its Islamic heritage.