Regional modeling of dust storm of February 8, 2015 in the southwest of Iran

According to World Meteorological Organization report in 2015, the southwest of Iran has become one of the dust sources in the region. And the objective of this research is to study the dust storms originating in this region. For this purpose, based on the weather data of 14 stations, the dust storms of the region were investigated, and the dust storm of February 7, 2015, was selected due to its very high concentration of dust particles (66 times the normal values). For the analysis of source areas and storm paths, the FNL data was used. The regional models of Navy Aerosol Analysis and Prediction System (NAAPS), Barcelona Supercomputing Centre-Dust Regional Atmospheric Model 8b (DREAM 8b), Non-hydrostatic Multiscale Model Barcelona Supercomputing Center (NMMB/BSC), and hybrid single-particle Lagrangian integrated trajectory (HYSPLIT) were used to study and analyze the selected storm. The results showed that the dust event in February 8, 2016, has been the result of the polar front jet stream (PJF) caused by western immigrant system that had been over the Sahara in Africa, the deserts of Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and finally southwest of Iran in making the extreme dust event. According to the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer data and point models of NAAPS, optical depth was very high. The DREAM 8b and NMMB/BSC models confirmed the impact of the local factors and closeness to the dust source regions. The backward tracking of the model with the HYSPLIT model showed three tracks transporting the dust particles to the region. This software also showed that the dust particles occupied an atmospheric tunnel of 1.5 km in diameter.     

Assessment of proposed approaches for bathymetry calculations using multispectral satellite images in shallow coastal/lake areas: a comparison of five models

Bathymetric information for shallow coastal/lake areas is essential for hydrological engineering applications such as sedimentary processes and coastal studies. Remotely sensed imagery is considered a time-effective, low-cost, and wide-coverage solution for bathymetric measurements. This study assesses the performance of three proposed empirical models for bathymetry calculations in three different areas: Alexandria port, Egypt, as an example of a low-turbidity deep water area with silt-sand bottom cover and a depth range of 10.5 m; the Lake Nubia entrance zone, Sudan, which is a highly turbid, unstable, clay bottom area with water depths to 6 m; and Shiraho, Ishigaki Island, Japan, a coral reef area with varied depths ranging up to 14 m. The proposed models are the ensemble regression tree-fitting algorithm using bagging (BAG), ensemble regression tree-fitting algorithm of least squares boosting (LSB), and support vector regression algorithm (SVR). Data from Landsat 8 and Spot 6 satellite images were used to assess the performance of the proposed models. The three models were used to obtain bathymetric maps using the reflectance of green, red, blue/red, and green/red band ratios. The results were compared with corresponding results yielded by two conventional empirical methods, the neural network (NN) and the Lyzenga generalised linear model (GLM). Compared with echosounder data, BAG, LSB, and SVR results demonstrate higher accuracy ranges from 0.04 to 0.35 m more than Lyzenga GLM. The BAG algorithm, producing the most accurate results, proved to be the preferable algorithm for bathymetry calculation.     

Concentration,composition and sources of PAHs in the coastal sediments of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Qatar,Arabian Gulf

Surface sediments were collected from sixteen locations in order to assess levels and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments of Qatar exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Samples were analyzed for 16 parent PAHs, 18 alkyl homologs and for dibenzothiophenes. Total PAHs concentration (∑PAHs) ranged from 2.6 ng g⁻¹ to 1025 ng g⁻¹. The highest PAHs concentrations were in sediments in and adjacent to harbors. Alkylated PAHs predominated most of the sampling locations reaching up to 80% in offshore locations. Parent PAHs and parent high molecular weight PAHs dominated location adjacent to industrial activities and urban areas. The origin of PAHs sources to the sediments was elucidated using ternary plot, indices, and molecular ratios of specific compounds such as (Ant/Phe + Ant), (Flt/Flt + Pyr). PAHs inputs to most coastal sites consisted of mixture of petroleum and combustion derived sources. However, inputs to the offshore sediments were mainly of petroleum origin.     

Geochemistry of the High Dam Lake sediments,south Egypt： implications for environmental significance

The goal of the present work is to perform a geochemical assessment of High Dam Lake bottom sediments for determining the fate, dispersion and levels of trace elements causing environmental pollution, and provided an access to their probable sources. The sediment samples were analyzed using ICP-MS for 20 elements; Ag, Ba, Cr, Cu, Ga, Hf, Mn, Pb, Rb, Sc, Se, Sn, Sr, Ta Th Ti, T1, U, V and Zr, and their obtained data were treated using statistical, graphical and mapping techniques. The results showed the data set of all analyzed elements affected by outliers and extreme values that caused deviation away from normality. Kruskal-Wallis test revealed that median of some trace element levels in Lake sediments, was not significantly different and other elements rejected the Null hypothesis. Most analyzed elements had high values of median and mean in sediments of Lake Nubia rather than Lake Nasser and their normalization gave the same results of calculated environment factors. Subsequently, Lake Nubia sediments possessed high combined EF levels ofTh, Sc, Sn, Ag, Zr, Hf, Ta, Sr, U, Ti, V, Cr, and Mn, causing significant contamination, which was great potentially related to industrial, agricultural, urbanization and mining activities. Whereas, combined EF of Se, Cu, Ga, Pb, Ba, Rb, and Tl, which are highly elevated in southern Lake Nasser sediments owing to their source are great possibly derived from Lake Nubia and geogenic activities. With decreasing distance towards the High Dam body, the contaminant elements were diminished due to reduction in the environmental factors and Sudanese pollution sources leading to the northern Lake Nasser considered to be less contaminated. Overall, the present study is an environmental alert for contaminated sediments that carried contaminants and considered the secondary source of pollution impact on ecosystem, and subsequently, their environmental risk on Human health.     

Hydrogeochemistry and groundwater salinization in an ephemeral coastal flood plain: Cap Bon,Tunisia

Abstract

The Wadi Al Ayn plain is a coastal system on the eastern coast of Cap Bon in northeastern Tunisia. The area is known for its intensive agriculture, which is based mainly on groundwater exploitation. The aim of this study is to identify the sources of groundwater salinization in the Wadi Al Ayn aquifer system and deduce the processes that drive the mineralization. Surface water and groundwater samples were taken and analysed for major ions and stable isotopes. The geochemical data were used to characterize and classify the water samples based on a variety of ion plots and diagrams. Stable isotopes are useful tools to help us understand recharge processes and to differentiate between salinity origins. The oilfield brines infiltrated from the sandy bed of Wadi Al Ayn comprise the main source of groundwater salinization in the central part of the plain, while seawater intrusion is mainly responsible for the increased salinity in the groundwater of the coastal part of the plain (at Daroufa).

Citation Chekirbane, A., Tsujimura, M., Kawachi, A., Isoda, H., Tarhouni, J., and Benalaya, A., 2013. Hydrogeochemistry and groundwater salinization in an ephemeral coastal flood plain: Cap Bon, Tunisia. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (5), 1097–1110.     

Simultaneous Determination of 11 Sulfonamides by HPLC–UV and Application for Fast Screening of Their Aerobic Elimination and Biodegradation in a Simple Test

Sulfonamides (SAs) are one of the most frequently used antibiotics. SAs have been found in various environmental compartments. If SAs are not degraded in the environment, they can affect bacteria by their antibiotic properties and contribute to bacterial antibiotic resistance. Therefore, the biodegradability of 11 SAs (sulfanilamide, sulfaguanidine monohydrate, sulfadiazine, sulfathiazole, sulfapyridine, sulfamerazine, sulfamethoxypyridazine, sulfachloropyridazine, sulfamethazine, sulfamethoxazole, and sulfadimethoxine) was studied. For this purpose, the Closed Bottle Test (CBT, OECD 301D) was performed, which includes a toxicity control. In order to monitor the environmental fate of the parent compound and to check for transformation products, a simple, efficient, and reliable HPLC–UV method for the simultaneous determination of these SAs has been developed. Acetonitrile and water (with 0.1% formic acid) were used as mobile phase solvents for gradient elution. The method was validated in terms of precision, detection and quantitation limits, selectivity, and analytical solution stability. In the CBT, none of these SAs was readily biodegradable. The HPLC–UV analysis confirmed that no degradation of any SA took place. In the toxicity control, these SAs showed no toxic effect in the used concentration of environmental bacteria applied in the test.