Kriging of water levels in the Souss aquifer,Morocco

Universal kriging is applied to water table data from the Souss aquifer in central Morocco. The procedure accounts for the spatial variability of the phenomenon to be mapped. With the use of measured elevations of the water table, an experimental variogram is constructed that characterizes the spatial variability of the measured water levels. Spherical and Gaussian variogram models are alternatively used to fit the experimental variogram. The models are used to develop contour maps of water table elevations and corresponding estimation variances. The estimation variances express the reliability of the kriged water table elevation maps. Universal kriging also provides a contour map of the expected elevation of the water table (drift). The differences between the expected and measured water table elevations are called residuals from the drift. Residuals from the drift are compared with residuals obtained by more traditional least-squares analysis.     

Textural attributes, mineralogy and provenance of sand dune fields in the greater Al Ain area, United Arab Emirates

Sand dunes and interdune sediments around Al Ain city have markedly high carbonate contents which increase towards Jabal Hafit mountain and the Arabian Gulf coast. The dunes are composed predominantly of well-sorted fine sands, consisting of unstrained quartz and carbonate grains together with minor proportions of chert and feldspars. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) examination reveals that quartz grains display various mechanically- and chemically-formed surface textures. The heavy minerals are dominated by opaques and pyroxenes with minor tourmaline, garnet, rutile, epidote, monazite, zircon, hornblende and staurolite.Interdune sediments consist of fine and very fine, poorly- to extremely poorly-sorted sands together with small concentrations of gravel, silt and clay. The light sand fractions compositionally resemble those of dunes but contain, in addition, gypsum, anhydrite, halite and celestite. Percentages of pyroxenes are higher whereas those of zircon, tourmaline and rutile are lower than in dunes. X-ray diffractometry reveals that the clay fractions consist solely of palygorskite. Generally, interdune sediments are much less mature texturally and mineralogically than dune sands; the maturity of both types of sediments decreases toward the NE of the study area.Sand dunes in the various districts of the greater Al Ain area are genetically related. Also, there is a partial genetic relationship between the dunes and interdune sediments; both are mainly multicyclic. Their major parts were brought mainly by the dominant north-west (El Shamal) winds from older dune fields in other localities in U.A.E., Qatar and El-Rub El-Khali. Local contributions to the dune fields from Jabal Hafit mountain, the Oman Mountains and the calcareous coast of the Arabian Gulf were, in cases, significant. Also, authigenesis by groundwater under highly evaporitic conditions played a major role in the formation of interdune sediments through the genesis of the clay and some nonclay minerals.     

Impact of Climate Change on Agricultural Production in the Sahel – Part 1. Methodological Approach and Case Study for Millet in Niger

In the last 30 years the climate of the West African Sahel has shown various changes, especially in terms of rainfall, of which inter-annual variabilityis very high. This has significant consequences for the poor-resource farmers, whose incomes depend mainly on rainfed agriculture. The West African Sahel is already known as an area characterized by important interaction between climate variability and key socio-economic sectors such as agriculture and water resources. More than 80% of the 55 million population of West African Sahel is rural, involved in agriculture and stock-farming, the two sectors contributing almost 35% of the countries' GDPs. It is thereforeobvious that climate change seriously affects the economies of these countries. Adding to this situation the high rate of population increase(3%), leading to progressive pressure upon ecosystems, and poorsanitary facilities, one comes to the conclusion that Sahelian countries, Niger amongst them, will be highly vulnerable to climate change.This paper investigates the impact of current climate variability and future climate change on millet production for three major millet-producing regions in Niger. Statistical models have been used to predict the effects of climate change on future production on the basis of thirteen available predictors. Based on the analysis of the past 30-years of rainfall and production data, the most significant predictors of the model are (i) seasurface temperature anomalies, (ii) the amount of rainfall in July, August and September, (iii) the number of rainy days and (iv) the wind erosion factor. In 2025, production of millet is estimated to be about 13% lower as a consequence of climate change, translated into a reduction of the total amount of rainfall for July, August and September, combined with an increase in temperature while maintaining other significant predictors at a constant level. Subsequently,various potential strategies to compensate this loss are evaluated, including those to increase water use efficiency and to cultivate varieties that are adapted to such circumstances.     

The factors controlling the distribution of carbonate content in Kuwait Bay sediments

The present study has been undertaken to determine the nature and the factors controlling the distribution of carbonate content in Kuwait Bay sediments. The carbonate content that may be deposited with Kuwait Bay sediments is attributed to the interplay of the deposits fallout from the dust storms over Kuwaiti territory, the deposits carried in suspension by the currents from Shatt Al-Arab area and to the skeletal parts of microorganisms that may be originated in the sediments. The carbonate content increases in the coarse sediments rather than in the fine sediments. The mineral components of the carbonate present are in the form of calcite, aragonite and some dolomite. Therefore, the texture of the sediments, the rate of deposition in addition to the biological interference may exert a considerable control over carbonate distribution.     

Petrography and geochemistry of carbonate void-filling cements in fossil reefs

An Investigation of the distribution of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, Sr²⁺ and K⁺ as well as O¹⁸ and C¹³ in void-filling cements out of three fossil reefs — of Devonian and Triassic ages — shows a rhythmic fluctuation of these parameters in the successive layers. This reflects a similar change in the salinity conditions during cementation. It also leads to the presumption that the void filling process starts in early stages with a semi-closed system and later passes into a relatively closed one. Results obtained from factor analysis support this hypothesis.The original mineralogic constitution of the cements must have followed the rhythmic fluctuation of salinity with the result of forming alternative layers of aragonite and calcite. These lead, through inversion and grain growth, in later diagenetic stages to the formation of fibrous calcite.Blocky calcite represents the last stage of cementation. It crystallises out of exhausted solutions and shows no signs of inversion.Multivariate analysis of all investigated parameters reveals three factors. These were interpreted as representing Salinity, Temperature and original Mineralogy.

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Zusammenfassung Die Untersuchung der Verteilung von Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, Sr²⁺ und K⁺, sowie O¹⁸ und C¹³ in Hohlraumzementen aus drei fossilen Riffen von devonischem und triadischem Alter zeigt eine rhythmische Schwankung in den sukzessiven Zementschalen. Die Schwankung der geochemischen Parameter reflektiert eine änderung der Salinitätsbedingungen. Dies wird unter der Annahme erklärt, daß die Ausfüllung der Hohlräume zuerst in einem halbgeschlossenen, später dann in einem relativ geschlossenen System stattfindet. Die Faktorenanalyse bestätigt diese Hypothese.Die Mineralogie der gebildeten Zemente folgt der rhythmischen Salinitätsschwankung und daraus entstand zunächst eine Wechsellagerung von calcitischen und aragonitischen Zementen.über Inversion und Sammelkristallisation bildet sich während der späteren Diagenese der fibröse Calcit, dessen rhythmische Gefügeabfolge von der ursprünglichen Mineralogie der Zemente diktiert wird. Als letzte Zementgeneration folgt blockiger Calcit aus ionenarmen Lösungen, wobei keine Umwandlung dieser Zementphase mehr erfolgt.Aus der Faktorenanalyse aller geochemischen Parameter ergeben sich drei Faktorengruppen, die die Salinität, Temperatur und ursprüngliche Bildungsmineralogie charakterisieren.

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Résumé L'examen de la répartition du Ca₂₊, Mg₂₊, Na₊, Sr₂₊ et K₊, ainsi que O¹⁸ et C¹³ dans le ciment de remplissage des vides de 3 récifs fossiles d'âge dévonien à triasique, montre une variation rythmique dans les couches successives du ciment. La variation des paramètres chimiques reflète un changement dans les conditions de la salinité. Ceci s'explique si l'on accepte que le remplissage des vides a eu lieu dans un milieu d'abord à moitié fermé, et plus tard relativement fermé. L'analyse des facteurs confirme cette hypothèse. La minéralogie du ciment formé est conforme à la variation rythmique de la salinité, d'où résulta une alternance de ciment calcitique et aragonitique.Après l'inversion et la recristallisation coalescente, il s'est formé, durant la diagenèse ultérieure de la calcite fibreuse, dont la succession structurale rythmique est dictée par la minéralogie originelle du ciment. Comme dernière génération de ciment, vient de la calcite en bloc provenant d'une solution pauvre en ions, sans qu'il s'en suive une transformation decette phase de cimentation.L'analyse des facteurs de tous les paramètres chimiques fait apparaÎtre trois groupes de facteurs qui caractérisent la salinité, la température et la minéralogie originelle de formation.

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, : Sa²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na²⁺, Sr²⁺ K⁺, ¹⁸O ¹³S . . , , , . . , . , . , , - . 3 , , .

     

Short note: A simple nomogram for interpretation due to magnetic horizontal cylinders

The magnetic anomaly ΔF due to a long horizontal cylinder yields three points related to its extrema. A nomogram is presented for the determination of some source parameters of the causative body.