Impact of rock-water interactions and recharge on water resources quality of the Agadir-Essaouira basin,southwestern Morocco     

Al Yacoubi Latifa  Bouchaou Lhoussaine  Jaillard Etienne  Masrour Moussa  Ait Brahim Yassine  El Mouden Ahmed  Schneider Jana  Reichert Barbara 《Arabian Journal of Geosciences》2017,10(7):169

The Agadir-Essaouira area in the occidental High Atlas Mountains of Morocco is characterized by a semi-arid climate. The scarcity and quality of water resources, exacerbated by long drought periods, constitute a major problem for a sustainable development of this region. Groundwater resources of carbonate units within Jurassic and Cretaceous aquifers are requested for drinking and irrigation purposes. In this study, we collected 84 samples from wells, boreholes, springs, and rivers. Hydrochemical and isotopic data were used to examine the mineralization and origin of water, which control groundwater quality. The chemical composition of water seems to be controlled by water-rock interactions, such as dissolution of carbonates (calcite and dolomite), weathering of gypsum, as well as ion exchange processes, which explain the observed variability. Stable isotopes results show that groundwater from the mainly marly Cretaceous aquifer are submitted to an evaporation effect, while samples from the chiefly calcareous Jurassic aquifer indicate a meteoric origin, due to a rapid infiltration of recharge runoff through the karstic outcrops. The low values of δ¹⁸O and δ²H suggest a local recharge from areas with elevations ranging from 400 to 1200 m for the Cretaceous aquifer and from 800 to 1500 m for the Jurassic units.  相似文献   

Types and nature of fracture associated with Late Ordovician paleochannels of glaciofluvial Sarah Formation,Qasim region,Central Saudi Arabia     

Jarrah Mohammed Ahmed Babiker  Mustafa Mohammed Hariri  Osman Abdullatif  Gabor Korvin 《Arabian Journal of Geosciences》2017,10(6):146

This study evaluates the Late Ordovician glaciofluvial deposits of the Sarah Formation and equivalent outcroppings in north, central, and southwestern Saudi Arabia. The Sarah Formation also covers a wide area in the subsurface and is considered as an important target for unconventional tight gas reservoir. Defining the fracture types, nature, and distribution in outcrop scale might help to establish a successful fracture simulation model and behavior for the Sarah tight gas reservoir in the subsurface. This study investigates fracture characteristics for the Sarah Formation at Sarah paleochannel outcrops. The study revealed three sets of fractures, which have EW, NS, and SE-NW directions, and these fractures vary from open, resistive, and filled to resistive fractures. The closed fractures are filled with ferruginated iron oxides and gypsum. The filled fractures (the thrust boundary) are found in the study area at the SE-NW strike fracture set, while open and resistive fractures are found mainly at S-N and E-W fracture sets, respectively. The syn-depositional filled fractures (iron oxides) are considered as the younger fracture sets while the open and resistive fractures are post-depositional fractures which may have resulted from uplift or tectonic movement. A general model representing the fracture pattern and the thrusting boundaries due to glacial movement was constructed. It has been noticed that the systematic occurrence of filled fractures (thrust boundaries) described the boundaries between different glacial events, which act as a fluid barrier (filled fractures) and decrease the reservoir quality. The finding of this study might be utilized as a guide and lead for exploration in the subsurface Sarah glacial deposits. It will also help to understand and speculate the nature pattern and distribution of fractures with the Sarah Formation.  相似文献   

Status of sedimentation in King Talal Dam,case study from Jordan     

Nazem El-Radaideh  Ahmed A. Al-Taani  Wesam M. Al Khateeb 《Environmental Earth Sciences》2017,76(3):132

This paper focuses on characterizing the current status of physical and chemical characteristics of King Talal Dam (KTD) sediments. The quality of sediments was investigated based on several international sediment quality guidelines. The volume of sediment and sedimentation rate in (KTD) was also estimated. Five types of granulometric textural facies were observed for the sediments of KTD reservoir bed, with an average grain size distribution of gravel (1.38%), sand (32.38%), silt (32.35%) and clay (32.38%). The fraction of <63 micron showed that the total mean size was 8.0 micron. Other sediment parameters in KTD were 7.0% for total organic matter (TOM), 7.3 for pH, 35.9% for CaCO₃ and 100.5 meq/100 g for cation exchange capacity, with dominant mineralogical constituents of quartz, calcite, dolomite, clay minerals and minor feldspar. The total concentrations of F, Cl, NO₂, NO₃, PO₄ and SO₄ in sediment samples were lower inward for KTD. The vast majority of trace metals in sediments were generally within the standard limits recommended for soils. TOM and grain size of sediment are major factors governing the trace metal concentrations. The calculated geoaccumulation index (I _geo) and enrichment factor of metals in bottom sediments showed that the metals were in the following order: Cd > Pb > Zn > Co > Cr > Ni > Fe > Cu > Sr > Mn and Cd > Zn > Pb > Co > Cr > Ni > Cu > Sr > Mn, respectively. Based on the sonic survey of KTD reservoir, the annual sedimentation rate was about 0.4061 MCM/year, in which about 18.66% of the reservoir initial storage capacity was lost to sediments and a projected lifespan of about 198 years.  相似文献   

Composition,radioactivity, and possible applications of kaolin deposits of Sinai,Egypt     

Ahmed El-Kammar  Hassan Taha Abu-Zied  Mohamed Galal  Dina Osman 《Arabian Journal of Geosciences》2017,10(21):463

This work discusses the composition, radioactivity, and possible utilization of the kaolin resources in Sinai which are hosted in thick sandstone sequences belonging to the Carboniferous (Wadi Khaboba) and Early Cretaceous (Wadi Iseila and Abansakar) ages. The characterization of kaolin was done by microscopic and SEM examination, supported by XRD and ICP-MS analyses. The studied kaolin resources consist of kaolinite, as the main constituent, associated with subsidiary dickite and halloysite, and minor contribution of smectite and illite. The most dominant non-clay mineral is quartz, besides minor gypsum, dolomite, and hematite. Ferrugination dominates, in most cases, at the upper boundaries of the kaolin lenses, suggesting possible supergene activity. The high Al₂O₃/SiO₂ ratio for the Cretaceous kaolin (0.54, in average) specifies its better grade relative to the Carboniferous kaolin (0.43, in average). The kaolin of the middle part of lens C in Wadi Iseila contains Si/Al molecular ratio of about unity, suggesting high-grade kaolin. The Carboniferous kaolin has enriched the radionuclides: U, Th, and Ra (at disequilibrium state due to leaching of eU relative to Ra) and the REE, relative to that of the Cretaceous age. The Carboniferous kaolin is characterized by a higher contribution of HREE (zircon signature), whereas LREE seems to be more influential for the Early Cretaceous kaolin (monazite signature). In spite of the very high CIA index (93 to 99), none of the analyzed kaolin deposits displays Ce abnormality. The high radioactivity of some Carboniferous kaolin can be a serious impediment for its utilization or its exportation. The kaolin of Sinai does not satisfy the international standards for paperwork industries and refractory manufacturing, but beneficiation may overcome this challenge. However, some lenses have high-grade kaolin with a low percentage of oxides of iron, magnesium, calcium, sodium, and potassium and a low radioactivity, hence nominated for the local refractory industry. The high-grade kaolin of Sinai fulfills the standards required for ceramics manufacturing in the global market. Grade 3 kaolin (< 30%, Al₂O₃) can be used in the manufacturing of white Portland cement and red glaze manufacturing on both local and global markets.  相似文献   

Uncertainty assessment of the multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network model with implementation of the novel hybrid MLP-FFA method for prediction of biochemical oxygen demand and dissolved oxygen: a case study of Langat River     

Bahare Raheli  Mohammad Taghi Aalami  Ahmed El-Shafie  Mohammad Ali Ghorbani  Ravinesh C. Deo 《Environmental Earth Sciences》2017,76(14):503

Accurate prediction of the chemical constituents in major river systems is a necessary task for water quality management, aquatic life well-being and the overall healthcare planning of river systems. In this study, the capability of a newly proposed hybrid forecasting model based on the firefly algorithm (FFA) as a metaheuristic optimizer, integrated with the multilayer perceptron (MLP-FFA), is investigated for the prediction of monthly water quality in Langat River basin, Malaysia. The predictive ability of the MLP-FFA model is assessed against the MLP-based model. To validate the proposed MLP-FFA model, monthly water quality data over a 10-year duration (2001–2010) for two different hydrological stations (1L04 and 1L05) provided by the Irrigation and Drainage Ministry of Malaysia are used to predict the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and dissolved oxygen (DO). The input variables are the chemical oxygen demand (COD), total phosphate (PO₄), total solids, potassium (K), sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), electrical conductivity (EC), pH and ammonia nitrogen (NH₄-N). The proposed hybrid model is then evaluated in accordance with statistical metrics such as the correlation coefficient (r), root-mean-square error, % root-mean-square error and Willmott’s index of agreement. Analysis of the results shows that MLP-FFA outperforms the equivalent MLP model. Also, in this research, the uncertainty of a MLP neural network model is analyzed in relation to the predictive ability of the MLP model. To assess the uncertainties within the MLP model, the percentage of observed data bracketed by 95 percent predicted uncertainties (95PPU) and the band width of 95 percent confidence intervals (d-factors) are selected. The effect of input variables on BOD and DO prediction is also investigated through sensitivity analysis. The obtained values bracketed by 95PPU show about 77.7%, 72.2% of data for BOD and 72.2%, 91.6% of data for DO related to the 1L04 and 1L05 stations, respectively. The d-factors have a value of 1.648, 2.269 for BOD and 1.892, 3.480 for DO related to the 1L04 and 1L05 stations, respectively. Based on the values in both stations for the 95PPU and d-factor, it is concluded that the neural network model has an acceptably low degree of uncertainty applied for BOD and DO simulations. The findings of this study can have important implications for error assessment in artificial intelligence-based predictive models applied for water resources management and the assessment of the overall health in major river systems.  相似文献   

Studying the impacts of groundwater evolution on the environment,west Qena city,Egypt     

Saad Ahmed Mohallel  Mohammed Ahmed Gomaa 《Arabian Journal of Geosciences》2017,10(16):372

The current research has been conducted to evaluate groundwater aquifers qualitatively in the area located in the Western side of Qena city. The Quaternary aquifer represents the main groundwater source in the study area. It exists under unconfined to semiconfined conditions at depths varying between 4 m due North and 80 m in the South. The chemical analyses of the groundwater samples indicate that 77% of the total samples are fresh and 20% are brackish, while only 3% are saline. In addition, the iso-salinity contour map indicates that the salinity increases towards the central and northern parts of the study area. The total and permanent hardness increase as water salinity increases and vice versa in case of temporary hardness in the groundwater samples. The chemical water types and the ion ratios indicate meteoric origin of groundwater as well as the dissolution of terrestrial and marine salts. The contribution of recent recharge from the River Nile to a few groundwater wells in the study area varies from low to high. In addition, the most recharge sources are from the precipitation. Nitrate concentrations in groundwater increase towards the central and Northern areas significantly elevated in response to increasing anthropogenic land uses. Much of the solutes and physicochemical parameters in these waters are under the undesirable limits of World Health Organization (WHO) for drinking purpose, and a plot of sodium adsorption ratio versus EC shows that about 23% of the groundwater samples are good water quality, about 45% of groundwater samples are moderate quality, and 23% of the groundwater samples are intermediate water class, while the rest of samples (9%) are out of the range.  相似文献   

Retraction Note to: Physiological comparative study of six wild grapevine (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Vitis sylvestris</Emphasis>) accession responses to salinity     

Hend Askri  Fatma Gharbi  Saloua Rejeb  Ahmed Mliki  Abdelwahed Ghorbel 《Arabian Journal of Geosciences》2017,10(18):402

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Morphotectonic controls of groundwater flow regime and relating environmental impacts in Northwest Sinai,Egypt     

Ahmed E. El-Rayes  Mohamed O. Arnous  Akram M. Aziz 《Arabian Journal of Geosciences》2017,10(18):401

The frequent appearance of some hydro-environmental hazard features, such as waterlogging and soil salinization along the susceptible zones at Northwest Sinai area (NWSA), has put serious challenges and obstacles for a correct and efficient land use planning of this region, for several decades. Although previous studies have shown that the whole region of Northern Sinai is greatly affected by the tectonic movements associated with the Syrian Arc folding system (SAS), NWSA is barren of any obvious surficial structures. The current work aims to investigate the effect of subsurface tectonic features on the hydrogeologic regime of NWSA.Hydrogeological and remote sensing data were integrated with ground geophysical gravity and magnetic measurements, using the geographic information system. Data integration asserts the role played by buried tectonic features not only in governing the landforms of the upper water-bearing quaternary formations but also in controlling their flow regime.Two major subsurface structures were identified through interpreting the geophysical measurements. A buried dome-like structure, dominating the central part of the mapped area, coincides with the radial flow pattern observed on the water table map. At the southwestern corner of the study area, an elevated groundwater level, caused by continuous groundwater accumulation at the discharge boundary, is superimposing a subsurface block-faulted depression. The waterlogging features (saturation of the soil by groundwater and inundation of local depressions due to rising of water table) dominating the discharge lowlands of NWSA support the conclusion that a buried block-faulted structure exerts a strong influence on the thickness and groundwater flow regime of the shallow quaternary aquifer.  相似文献   

Numerical estimation of carbonate rock properties using multiscale images          下载免费PDF全文

Mohamed Soufiane Jouini  Sandra Vega  Ahmed Al‐Ratrout 《Geophysical Prospecting》2015,63(2):405-421

Characterizing the pore space of rock samples using three‐dimensional (3D) X‐ray computed tomography images is a crucial step in digital rock physics. Indeed, the quality of the pore network extracted has a high impact on the prediction of rock properties such as porosity, permeability and elastic moduli. In carbonate rocks, it is usually very difficult to find a single image resolution which fully captures the sample pore network because of the heterogeneities existing at different scales. Hence, to overcome this limitation a multiscale analysis of the pore space may be needed. In this paper, we present a method to estimate porosity and elastic properties of clean carbonate (without clay content) samples from 3D X‐ray microtomography images at multiple resolutions. We perform a three‐phase segmentation to separate grains, pores and unresolved porous phase using 19 μm resolution images of each core plug. Then, we use images with higher resolution (between 0.3 and 2 μm) of microplugs extracted from the core plug samples. These subsets of images are assumed to be representative of the unresolved phase. We estimate the porosity and elastic properties of each sample by extrapolating the microplug properties to the whole unresolved phase. In addition, we compute the absolute permeability using the lattice Boltzmann method on the microplug images due to the low resolution of the core plug images. In order to validate the results of the numerical simulations, we compare our results with available laboratory measurements at the core plug scale. Porosity average simulations for the eight samples agree within 13%. Permeability numerical predictions provide realistic values in the range of experimental data but with a higher relative error. Finally, elastic moduli show the highest disagreements, with simulation error values exceeding 150% for three samples.  相似文献   

Effect of gravity framing on the overstrength and collapse capacity of steel frame buildings with perimeter special moment frames          下载免费PDF全文

Ahmed Elkady  Dimitrios G. Lignos 《地震工程与结构动力学》2015,44(8):1289-1307

This paper investigates the effect of the gravity framing system on the overstrength and collapse risk of steel frame buildings with perimeter special moment frames (SMFs) designed in North America. A nonlinear analytical model that simulates the pinched hysteretic response of typical shear tab connections is calibrated with past experimental data. The proposed modeling approach is implemented into nonlinear analytical models of archetype steel buildings with different heights. It is found that when the gravity framing is considered as part of the analytical model, the overall base shear strength of steel frame buildings with perimeter SMFs could be 50% larger than that of the bare SMFs. This is attributed to the gravity framing as well as the composite action provided by the concrete slab. The same analytical models (i) achieve a static overstrength factor, Ω_s larger than 3.0 and (ii) pass the collapse risk evaluation criteria by FEMA P695 regardless of the assigned total system uncertainty. However, when more precise collapse metrics are considered for collapse risk assessment of steel frame buildings with perimeter SMFs, a tolerable probability of collapse is only achieved in a return period of 50 years when the perimeter SMFs of mid‐rise steel buildings are designed with a strong‐column/weak‐beam ratio larger than 1.5. The concept of the dynamic overstrength, Ω_d is introduced that captures the inelastic force redistribution due to dynamic loading. Steel frame buildings with perimeter SMFs achieve a Ω_d > 3 regardless if the gravity framing is considered as part of the nonlinear analytical model representation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献