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Abstract:In arid environments groundwater may represent the most important source of water for sustaining life. The timing and nature of precipitation may induce infiltration and recharge on a small scale. The Al Ain region, UAE was chosen and from 1996 to 1997 studies were conducted to illustrate spatial distribution of recharge for groundwater by using chemical and isotopic methods. According to the field survey, UAE can be hydrogeologically classified into five parts: mountain area, wadis, sand dunes, inland sabkhas and coastal sabkhas, respectively. In this report, we studied a typical wadi, Wadi Mieshiq area. Upstream of the wadi, it was found that the groundwaters were characterized by low salinity. Stable isotopes of groundwaters in the wadi were lighter than those of the stream waters in the mountain area, since stream water was affected by evaporation before it infiltrated into the ground. The isotopes of recharged water into the wadi must have isotopically light values. From the results above, groundwater along the wadi was mainly derived from not only water from the mountain area but also infiltrated water during the flood period. Wadis are an important recharge region for groundwater.

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