Geotechnical investigation of sewage wastewater disposal sites and use of GIS land use maps to assess environmental hazards: Sohag, upper Egypt

Land application is the only currently available technique for sewage wastewater disposal along the Nile Valley in Upper Egypt. Wastewater disposal projects have been established in the lowland desert zone extending between the cultivated floodplain and the Eocene Limestone plateau. The plan is to use the treated wastewater in irrigating woody farmlands. Some wastewater disposal sites are already operating, and several others will be established in the near future. The proposed wastewater disposal sites are located in a sensitive desert zone that is extremely narrow and situated very close to vital resources including the cultivated floodplain, reclaimed lands, residential areas, and surface water resources. In addition, the subsurface sediments of this zone (Pleistocene sand–gravel succession) constitute a significant part of the Quaternary aquifer of the valley. The objective of this study is to characterize and investigate the wastewater disposal sites and assess their probable environmental hazards. The study showed that the available lands are insufficient to accommodate the projected quantities of wastewater. At the currently operating sites, excess raw wastewater is accumulating on the ground surface forming large uncontrolled ponds. Such wastewater ponds represent a potential environmental hazard and might cause disastrous health effects, where chemical and bacteriological pollution of soil, crops and water resources may occur.     

The use of magnetic and geo-electrical data to delineate the subsurface structures and groundwater potentiality in Southeastern Sinai, Egypt

The study area is located in the southern part of Sinai Peninsula. This study was done to delineate the subsurface structure of the basement rocks affecting the groundwater potentiality in the study area and to perform the lateral and vertical variations in the subsurface lithologic properties. To achieve these, a high-resolution total intensity magnetic map and geo-electrical survey were acquired. Two-dimensional power spectrum, analytical signal, and Euler deconvolution techniques are applied on magnetic data. The geo-electric data interpretations concluded that, the study area can be classified into five units of sediments arranged as: (1) the top surficial layer of dry sand and gravels; (2) the second layer of silty sand layer with thickness ranging from 5 to 35 m; (3) the third layer of dry sand with thickness ranging from 5 to 130 m; (4) the fourth layer composed of saturated sand which was considered as the water-bearing zone of the investigated interval, its thickness ranges between 50m and more than 200 m; (5) the fifth layer is interpreted as basement rocks. The depth to the basement surface has an average value of 156 m at the eastern side and 758 m at the western side of the study area. This area is characterized by a graben structure bounded by major faults striking in the NW–SE direction and is considered one of the most promising regions for water resources in Sinai.     

Effects of phosphate mining activity on groundwater quality at Wadi Queh, Red Sea, Egypt

The groundwater in Wadi Queh exists in two main hydrogeological units; fractured Precambrian basement and sedimentary rocks with high contribution for groundwater recharge. To study the impacts of phosphate mining activities on the groundwater quality in the area, three groundwater samples that represent all water wells in the area were collected and analysed for major ions and some heavy metals. In addition, three bulk samples representing the phosphatic sediments collected from upstream and downstream of the drainage basin were collected and analysed to understand the source of groundwater contamination. The total concentrations of dissolved solids suggest that the groundwater in the area grades from fresh to brackish water (961–1,580 mg/l), and is characterized by sodium–calcium–sulphate–chloride and sodium–magnesium–sulphate–chloride chemical types. The results showed high concentrations of the heavy metals in well nos. 1 and 2 in downstream parts compared to well no. 3 in upstream part reflecting their influence by the mining activities.     

Mineralogy, geochemistry, and origin of hydrothermal manganese veins at Wadi Maliek, Southern Eastern Desert, Egypt

The present work deals with the geology, mineralogy, geochemistry, and origin of the metagabbroic-hosted manganese deposits at Wadi Maliek in the southern Eastern Desert of Egypt. The manganese veins are found in the shear zones and channel ways of the fault planes within the metagabbroic rocks pointing to those hydrothermal solutions carrying manganese and iron load penetrating along these fractures. These faults are striking N 80° E?CS 80° W with dipping 65°. These veins vary in thickness from 15?cm up to 125?cm wide; each vein may show difference in thickness from bottom to top. Microscopic examinations, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectral, differential thermal (DTA), thermogravimetric (TGA), and ESEM-EDAX analyses revealed that the manganese minerals consist mainly of pyrolusite, psilomelane, and ramsdellite. Goethite and hematite are the common iron minerals. Petrographically, the manganese deposits can be classified into three ore types based on the predominance of manganese and iron minerals: manganese, manganese?Ciron, and iron ore types. The geochemistry of Maliek deposits indicated that the total averages of some major oxides in manganese, manganese?Ciron, and iron ore types are respectively as follows: SiO₂ (15.64%, 11.52%, and 20.58%), MnO (39.9%, 17.81%, and 0.77%), FeO* (7.13%, 33.31%, and 37.08%), CaO (5.89%, 5.82%, and 5.32%), and Na₂O (1.04%, 1.61%, and 1.53%). With regard to trace elements, the Maliek manganese deposits are rich in Zn, Ba, Pb, Sr, and V. Based on the geological, mineralogical, and geochemical results, the studied manganese deposits are considered to be precipitated from hydrothermal solution.     

The Influence of Clay Zones on Land Subsidence from Groundwater Pumping

The objective of this article is to analyze the influence of clay zones on subsidence from groundwater pumping. Finite element analyses were conducted on a sand‐only aquifer and a sand aquifer with two clay zones located at different distances from the well face. A model that accounts for recoverable and nonrecoverable strains was used to simulate the sand and clay. This model couples the groundwater flow with the stress‐deformation response of the aquifer materials. Each aquifer was pumped from a single well for a period of 6 months, and then the groundwater level was lowered gradually to an elevation below the elevation of the clay zones and kept there for 10 years. The groundwater level was then raised gradually back to the original elevation over a period of 10 years. The results of the analyses show that the ground surface subsidence profile is strongly influenced by the presence of the clays zones. The ground surface sags where these clay zones are present resulting in a wavy ground surface profile. Subsidence continued when pumping is stopped, albeit at a much slower rate than during pumping, and when the groundwater level is below the elevation of the clay zones. Clay zones further away from the well face lag the subsidence of clay zones nearer the well face because of lower changes in hydrostatic head. Sags in ground surface subsidence profile from groundwater pumping are indicators of the presence of low hydraulic conductive geological materials.     

Deciphering groundwater flow between the Complex Terminal and Plio-Quaternary aquifers in Chott Gharsa plain (southwestern Tunisia) using isotopic and chemical tools

Abstract

The Complex Terminal (CT) and Plio-Quaternary (P-Q) aquifers in the Chott Gharsa plain in southwestern Tunisia have been investigated with the aid of chemical and isotopic tools. It has been demonstrated that groundwater from the CT is mainly of palaeo-origin, especially in the western and central parts of the plain where the most negative values of δ¹⁸O and δ²H were observed (between??8.1 and??7.6‰ for δ¹⁸O, and??60 to??57‰ for δ²H), combined with low concentrations of radiocarbon (6.8–7.5 pmc) and absence of tritium. Modern recharge of the aquifer occurs only in the eastern part of the system where younger waters were observed, as indicated by their stable isotope composition, relatively high radiocarbon content and presence of tritium. Groundwater from the P-Q multi-layer aquifer represents mixtures of ascending deep CT waters and modern water recharging the P-Q aquifer system. Isotope mass balance was used to quantify mixing proportions. The calculations showed that the contribution of deep CT groundwater to the P-Q aquifer system reaches about 75% in the western and central parts of the plain where the CT aquifer remains strongly artesian. This contribution decreases to about 15% towards the eastern part of the plain, as a consequence of significant reduction of artesian pressure in this area of the CT aquifer. Chemical data suggest that mineralization of the studied groundwater systems is controlled mainly by dissolution of evaporative minerals (halite, anhydrite and gypsum) and cation exchange reactions with the matrix, possibly enhanced by recent anthropogenic disturbance of the system caused by lowering of the water table due to heavy exploitation and return flow of saline irrigation water into the P-Q aquifer.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor E. Custodio

Citation Yangui, H., Abidi, I., Zouari, K., and Rozanski, K., 2012. Deciphering groundwater flow between the Complex Terminal and Plio-Quaternary aquifers in Chott Gharsa plain (southwestern Tunisia) using isotopic and chemical tools. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 57 (5), 967–984.     

DOA estimation of wide-band signals based on time-frequencyanalysis

A numerical study on an approach based on the time-frequency analysis is performed for the high-resolution direction finding applications of wide-band signals. In this method, the direction of arrival (DOA) is estimated using a subband of the incoming signal instead of the whole signal spectrum. This treatment forces the DOA of the wide-band signals to be similar to that of the DOA of the narrow-band signals. The reason behind this can be thought of as the after effects of reducing the signal bandwidth, which constrains the signal subspace. An empirical analysis of the performance of the DOA estimator Is also investigated. This is done to compare the correct and estimated angles of separation between the targets, and it is demonstrated that there is a good agreement which implies that the use of prefiltering does not affect the resolution of the DOA estimator     

Remote sensing of urban growth and landscape pattern changes in response to the expansion of Chongming Island in Shanghai,China

Chongming Island in China is currently undergoing a rapid urbanization and an increasing environmental pressure due to its fast-paced social economic development. Owing to natural silts deposit phenomenon as well as artificial land reclamation practices, the Island is also experiencing an expansion phenomenon. The synergy between these natural and artificial phenomena results in a rapidly changing landscape on Chongming Island. Consequently, the tools and methods for a rapid and cost-effective detection and assessment of related issues are urgently needed to ensure a harmonious and sustainable development of the Island. We herein investigate the urban growth and the landscape pattern change in relation to the Island’s expansion phenomenon and the associated complexity of land use/cover change. Our investigation is based on a time series of Landsat satellite images spanning the past 34 years. The methodological approach adopted in the present study combines vegetation indices, images textural features and social statistics data in an object-oriented classification framework. With Chongming Island expanding by an annual rate of 0.9% between 1979 and 2013, we found that the proportion of vegetation area to the total area decreased from 71 to 45%, whereas the proportion of built-up area to the total area increased from 5 to 19.9%. The urban area expanded about six times from 1979 to 2013, and during the same period, the Island’s population did not change significantly. The urban spatial expansion of Chongming Island caused distinct expansion intensity index for each intervals, and significant fragmentation and diversity in the landscape pattern between 1979 and 2013. It was also found that the rapid urbanization process took place at the expense of landscape pattern changes at any time within the study period. This is a strong indication that besides the natural geographic element, economic development and policy orientation were the dominant driving factors. If the current rate of urban expansion is to be maintained and the vegetation cover is to keep decreasing at an annual rate of 0.1% (period 1979–2013), their combined effects would profoundly alter the ecological environment in the long term. These findings provide a basic objective and scientific information for knowledgeable decision-making and policy formulation regarding regional planning and management to ensure harmonious transition of Chongming towards ecologically oriented development.     

Drivers of housing development in Tamale Metropolitan District,Ghana

In developing countries the most remarkable feature of housing production and consumption is the active involvement of households in all segments of the housing markets. The purpose of the study was to assess the main drivers of households’ decisions to build housing in Tamale Metropolitan District, Ghana. The authors used a probit regression model to analyse the main forces underlying housing production decisions in the district and to highlight the challenges associated with households’ self-building efforts. The results revealed that economic, demographic, and cultural factors were the main forces accounting for variations in households’ decisions to build housing. Additionally, the results indicated that households’ efforts were severely constrained by rising land values, low levels of household income, limited employment opportunities, and intermittent chieftaincy conflicts. The authors conclude that access to land and security of tenure were important prerequisites for housing development in Tamale Metropolitan District. They recommend the establishment of a good land administration system to help to address the excessive bureaucracy in the delivery of land for house building in the metropolis.     

Use of the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) for soil and nutrient loss estimation in long-used rainfed agricultural lands,North Ethiopia

This study was conducted to quantify agricultural land degradation in the Ruba Gered watershed, Ethiopia. The watershed was divided into 12 land mapping units (LMU) after superimposing maps of soil, slope, land use/cover, and elevation. Subsequently, cultivated land was delineated to assess degradation types and severity based on standard approaches. Sheet erosion was estimated using the revised universal soil loss equation. Composite soil samples were collected from each LMU to quantify key soil nutrients (OM, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium) lost by sheet erosion. The annual average soil loss due to sheet erosion was estimated to be 17.4 t ha^?1 yr^?1, with average annual nutrient losses estimated as 246.5 kg ha^?1 organic matter, 12.4 kg ha^?1 total nitrogen, 0.1 kg ha^?1 available phosphorus, and 1.6 kg ha^?1 available potassium. The study revealed that substantial quantities of soil and nutrients are lost every year in the study area due to severe sheet erosion. This amount of nutrient loss severely degrades soil and reduces soil fertility.