Aruba - a geochemical baseline study

Abstract

A stream-sediment survey was carried out for the island of Aruba. Concentrations in stream sediments represent the abundance of chemical elements in the drainage basins. A geochemical atlas was created from the collected data and natural background values were established. Cluster analysis and pattern recognition techniques were used to gain a better understanding of the data set.Two cluster models were selected to study the various geochemical controls on the sediments and to establish a spatial basis of environmental-quality settings for the development of future environmental policies. The first cluster model was suitable to recognise in some detail the reflection of the geology on the geochemistry of the stream sediments. The second, coarser cluster model stressed the importance to distinguish between the two main Iithological units of the island when instituting natural background values. Not one uniform value per element is valid, but the value depends on the lithology.

Are there limits to growth of tourism on the Caribbean islands? Case-study Aruba

“…The climate is semi-arid and largely characterized by varying annual rainfall between 400 to 900 mm. The average temperature fluctuates between 27 • in the coldest months, December to February, and 32 • in the summer months from July to August (Van Den Oever, 2000;Derix, 2016).…”

“…The Northeastern coastline is characterized by a rocky coast alternating between cliffs, dry riverbeds, and small sandy beaches, whilst the Southwestern coastline is characterized by beautiful long sandy beaches and fossilized limestone terraces (Schmutz et al, 2017). Furthermore, the island is continuously exposed to the north-east trade winds, resulting in higher wave energy on the rocky coast compared to the calmer southeastern sandy beaches (Van Den Oever, 2000;Fitzpatrick, 2015;Schmutz et al, 2017).…”

Distribution and Assessment of Heavy Metal Levels Using Geoaccumulation Index and Pollution Load Index in Lake Edku Sediments, Egypt

“…Geochemical baselines are very important in environmental legislation, which prescribes limits for heavy metals in contaminated land and other surficial materials as defined by environmental authorities [24]. Baseline geochemical surveying is important as it can [25]: (1) help to determine the natural state of the environment; (2) support optimum mitigation strategies to help solve environmental problems; (3) increase understanding of immediate hazards; (4) help find possible mineral deposits; and (5) provide information on disease distribution when combined with epidemiological studies.…”