The significance of morphometric analysis for obtaining groundwater potential zones in a structurally controlled terrain

Watershed development and management plans are more important for harnessing surface water and groundwater resources in arid and semi-arid regions. To prepare a comprehensive watershed development plan, it becomes necessary to understand the topography, erosion status and drainage patterns of the region. This study was undertaken to determine the drainage characteristics of Pageru River basin using topographical maps on a scale of 1:50,000. The total area of the Pageru River basin is 480 km². It was divided into X sub-basins for analysis. The drainage patterns of the basin are dendritic and include a sixth order stream. The quantitative analysis of various aspects of a river basin drainage network characteristics reveals complex morphometric attributes. The streams of lower orders mostly dominate the basin. The development of stream segments in the basin area is more or less affected by rainfall. The elongated shape of the basin is mainly due to the guiding effect of thrusting and faulting. The erosional processes of fluvial origin have been predominately influenced by the subsurface lithology of the basin.     

Impacts of Seawater Rise on Seawater Intrusion in the Nile Delta Aquifer,Egypt

Several investigations have recently considered the possible impacts of climate change and seawater level rise on seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers. All have revealed the severity of the problem and the significance of the landward movement of the dispersion zone under the condition of seawater level rise. Most of the studies did not consider the possible effects of the seawater rise on the inland movement of the shoreline and the associate changes in the boundary conditions at the seaside and the domain geometry. Such effects become more evident in flat, low land, coastal alluvial plans where large areas might be submerged with seawater under a relatively small increase in the seawater level. None of the studies combined the effect of increased groundwater pumping, due to the possible decline in precipitation and shortage in surface water resources, with the expected landward shift of the shore line. In this article, the possible effects of seawater level rise in the Mediterranean Sea on the seawater intrusion problem in the Nile Delta Aquifer are investigated using FEFLOW. The simulations are conducted in horizontal view while considering the effect of the shoreline landward shift using digital elevation models. In addition to the basic run (current conditions), six different scenarios are considered. Scenarios one, two, and three assume a 0.5 m seawater rise while the total pumping is reduced by 50%, maintained as per the current conditions and doubled, respectively. Scenarios four, five, and six assume a 1.0 m seawater rise and the total pumping is changed as in the first three scenarios. The shoreline is moved to account for the seawater rise and hence the study domain and the seaside boundary are modified accordingly. It is concluded that, large areas in the coastal zone of the Nile Delta will be submerged by seawater and the coast line will shift landward by several kilometers in the eastern and western sides of the Delta. Scenario six represents the worst case under which the volume of freshwater will be reduced to about 513 km³ (billion m³).     

Air quality and elemental enrichment factors of aerosol particulate matter in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia

Air particulate matter (PM) samples were collected from June 2006 to May 2007 for determination of chemical elements. PM samples were taken in two size fractions (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀) with MiniVolume air samplers on rooftops of various buildings (15–25 m above ground) in the city of Riyadh. The samples were subjected to X-ray fluorescence analysis to measure major (Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Si, P, S, and Fe) and trace elements (Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Ba). The results showed that the PM concentrations were higher for PM₁₀ compared to PM_2.5, indicating that the major PM source was local dust. Also the spatial distribution with high PM concentrations was observed in the south and southeast of the city and the lowest levels were in the center and northeast of the city. This spatial distribution was attributed to different factors such as wind direction and velocity, emission from cement factories, and the presence of buildings, trees, and paved streets that reduce the amount of dust resuspended into the atmosphere. The air quality of the city was found to range from good to hazardous based on PM_2.5, and from good to very hazardous based on PM₁₀. The element-enrichment factors revealed two element groups according to their changing spatial behavior. The first group showed no significant spatial changes indicating they have the same common source. The second group (mainly S and Ni) exhibited significant changes as expected from anthropogenic inputs. The origin of S is possibly a combination of minerals (CaSO₄) and fossil fuel combustion. The source of Ni is probably from fossil fuel combustion.     

Serpentinized Peridotites at the North Part of the Wadi Allaqi District (Egypt): Implications for the Tectono-Magmatic Evolution of Fore-arc Crust

The Neoproterozoic Allaqi-Heiani suture （800-700 Ma） in the south Eastern Desert of Egypt is the northernmost linear ophiolitic belt that defines an arc-arc suture in the Arabian- Nubian shield （ANS）. The Neoproterozoic serpentinized peridotites represent a distinct lithology of dismembered ophiolites along the Allaqi-Heiani suture zone. The alteration of peridotites varies, some contain relicts of primary minerals （Cr-spinel and olivine） and others are extremely altered, especially along thrusts and shear zones, with development of talc, talc-carbonate and quartz-carbonate. The fresh cores of the chromian spinels are rimmed by ferritchromite and Cr- magnetite. The fresh chromian spinels have high Cr# （0.62 to 0.79）, while Mg# shows wider variation （0.35-0.59）. High Cr# in the relict chromian spinels and Fo content in the primary olivines indicate that they are residual peridotites after extensive partial melting. The studied ophiolitic upper mantle peridotites are highly depleted and most probably underwent high degrees of partial melting at a supra-subduction zone setting. They can be produced by up to -20%-22% dynamic melting of a primitive mantle source. The mineralogical and geochemical features of the studied rocks reflect that the mantle peridotites of the north part of the Wadi Allaqi district are similar to the fore-arc peridotites of a supra-subduction zone.     

Environmental assessment of Dhaka City (Bangladesh) based on trace metal contents in road dusts

Geochemical analysis of street dusts was conducted to evaluate the environment of Dhaka City, Bangladesh. Dust samples were collected from different areas (industrial, commercial, and residential) of Dhaka City, and their major, trace and rare earth elements (REE) were determined. Samples from the commercial area had Pb concentrations double those of the industrial and residential areas. Contents of Zn, Cu, Ni, and Cr in the industrial areas were greater than those in the commercial and residential areas. The REE patterns of all dusts in Dhaka are similar and are comparable to the average upper continental crust. The condition of the Dhaka environment was compared to that in Japan and other baseline sediments using Zn–Fe₂O₃ and Pb–Fe₂O₃ diagrams. Zn–Fe₂O₃ trends for the dusts show steep inclination compared to the baseline sediment and the Japanese urban sediment trends. Dhaka lake data show enrichment of Zn over the dusts, suggestive of Zn pollution from poorly controlled industrial sources. In contrast, on the Pb–Fe₂O₃ diagram, Dhaka dusts have greater Pb contents than lake sediments, probably due to the higher traffic density in the commercial area compared to the residential area including the area around the lake. The results suggest that higher levels of Pb and Zn in street dusts in Dhaka can most likely be attributed to the anthropogenic sources like vehicle emissions to the atmosphere and a rapid development.     

Integration of remote sensing data with the field and laboratory investigation for lithological mapping of granitic phases: Kadabora pluton, Eastern Desert, Egypt

In the current study, an integration of Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), field, and laboratory data have been used for lithological mapping of different granitic phases in the Kadabora area, Eastern Desert, Egypt. Application of enhancement techniques, including a new proposed band ratio combination (ratio 5/3, 3/1, 7/5 in RGB, respectively) and supervised classification images are used in discriminating different granitic phases in the Kadabora pluton from each other and from their environs. The data have been proved with the help of field and geochemical investigations. The results revealed that: (1) the Kadabora granitic pluton could be distinguished into three phases that recognized by field and laboratory investigation including granodiorite (phase I), monzogranite (phase II), and syeno-alkali feldspar granite (phase III). These phases are arranged according to their relative ages while the country rocks include ophiolitic mélange and metagabbro–diorite complex. It is also confirmed that the granitic pluton is invaded by dyke swarms which is trending in N–S direction. Geochemically, results show that the granodiorite is calc-alkaline, I-type and formed under subduction tectonic regime. Monzogranite falls within the alkaline and highly fractionated calc-alkaline granites, whereas syeno-alkali feldspar granite extends into proper alkaline granitoids field. Monzogranite and syeno-alkali feldspar granite belong to the A₂-subtype granite. This A₂-subtype granite was probably formed in an extensional regime, subsequent to subduction which can lead to tensional break-up of the crust (i.e., post-collisional, post-orogenic granites). The monzogranite and the syeno-alkali feldspar granite were probably formed by partial melting of relatively anhydrous lower crust source and/or tonalite to granodiorite is viable alternative to the granulite source.     

Spatial variability of soil erodibility and its correlation with soil properties in semi-arid mountainous watershed,Saudi Arabia

Soil erodibility values are best estimated from long-term direct measurements on runoff-plots; however, in lack of field tests, these values can be estimated using relationships based on physico-chemical soil properties. The study objective was to assess the erodibility and its correlation with soil properties. The average erodibility value was estimated 0.043 t ha h ha^?1 MJ^?1 mm^?1. The areas with heavy textured soil and low organic matter content had the lowest values of erodibility. The erodibility decreases as the sand content increases, whereas silt showed a positive correlation. The erodibility factors and its relation to soil properties were evaluated using multiple regression analysis. Results revealed that sand and organic matter content of soil combinedly explained 78% of variation. Altitudinal increases also seem to affect the soil texture. This study has demonstrated that soil properties and erodibility values can be used as assistance for soil conservation practices and modelling of landscape processes.