Hydrogeological studies on the Nubian sandstone aquifer in El-Bahariya Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt

Hamdan, Ali M.; Sawires, Rashad

doi:10.1007/s12517-011-0439-8

Cited by 23 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…4b-c). Moorland lacustrine formations (van Overmeeren, 1998) and oases in drylands (Makkawi, 2004;Hamdan and Sawires, 2013) include sporadic coarse-grained interbedding, favouring proper GPR penetration Fig. 3.…”

Section: Geological Environments Favouring Gdementioning

confidence: 99%

Current uses of ground penetrating radar in groundwater-dependent ecosystems research

Paz

Alcalá

Carvalho

et al. 2017

Science of The Total Environment

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Section: Geological Environments Favouring Gdementioning

confidence: 99%

Current uses of ground penetrating radar in groundwater-dependent ecosystems research

Paz

Alcalá

Carvalho

et al. 2017

Science of The Total Environment

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“…Calcite and dolomite are involved in the model because they of the presence of carbonate rocks. Halite, gypsum, and clay minerals are particularly embedded in the successive shale and marine deposit layers forming the aquifer matrix [68]. The model results show water-rock interaction and seawater mixing scenarios.…”

Section: Water-rock Interaction and Mixing Modelmentioning

confidence: 87%

Geochemical and Isotopic Evidence of Groundwater Salinization Processes in El Dabaa Area, Northwestern Coast, Egypt

et al. 2018

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El Dabaa city is located along the northwestern coast ridge zone of Egypt, where the groundwater is the major water source for drinking, domestic, and agricultural purposes. The groundwater salinity increased over the last decades, therefore, geochemical techniques and environmental isotopes have been utilized to identify the main groundwater recharge and salinization sources. The study area comprises two main groundwater aquifers: the porous oolitic Pleistocene and the fractured limestone Miocene aquifers. The groundwater salinity of the Pleistocene aquifer ranges from 751 to 27,870 mg/L, with an average value of 6006 mg/L. The salinity of the Miocene aquifer ranges from 3645 to 41,357 mg/L, with an average value of 11,897 mg/L. Fresh and brackish groundwater have been recorded in the shallow hand-dug wells, while saline groundwater has been found in deeper wells close to the shoreline. Groundwater samples have been categorized into two distinct groups according to the salinity ranges, hydrochemical ion ratios, and stable isotopic content. Group I is composed of groundwater with salinity less than 10,000 mg/L, and depleted stable isotopic content (−5.64 < δ18O < −2.45; −23.5 < δ2H < −0.02), while Group II contains groundwater with salinity values above 10,000 mg/L and relatively enriched stable isotopic content (−1.86 < δ18O < −0.48; −10.3 < δ2H < −2.0). The weight mass balance mixing model shows that Group I falls close to the rain and/or water extract samples, indicating meteoric water origin that has evolved due to leaching and dissolution processes. Group II is mostly located between the rainwater and the seawater samples, revealing mixing with water of marine origin due to groundwater overexploitation. The estimated seawater mixing index (SMI) of groundwater samples of Group II is greater than one, which confirms mixing with seawater. The water-rock reaction NETPATH (geochemical groundwater reaction and mixing code) model scenarios representing Group I suggests that gypsum, dolomite, and halite are dissolved, while calcite is formed with a slight influence from evaporation processes. Six mixing models representing Group II are used to investigate seawater mixing scenarios. The models suggest that illite and dolomite are dissolved, while calcite and gypsum are precipitated with a seawater mixing ratios ranging from 28% to 98%. In conclusion, due to the scarcity of annual groundwater recharge in the El Dabaa area, groundwater withdrawal should be well managed to avoid groundwater salinization and further seawater intrusion.

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“…Bahariya Oasis is a vast and deep depression in the plateau of the Western Desert of Egypt (Figure 1), about 80 km long and 30 km wide at the most. The area has attracted human settlements since prehistoric times, owing to the proximity of the water table in this topographical configuration, the presence of geological faults causing the rise of water from the Nubian sandstone aquifer (Hamdan and Sawires 2013:1337-1342Rabeh et al 2018) and the formation of lakes during wetter periods (Svoboda 2004(Svoboda , 2006(Svoboda , 2013Kabaciński et al 2015). Thanks to the accessibility of spring water and artesian wells, human communities thrived in the favorable environment of Bahariya, which served as a refuge, like other oases (Kuper 2006;Kuper and Kröpelin 2006;Briois et al 2012), when aridity worsened after the end of the African Humid Period, some 5500 years ago (Kröpelin et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The End of the “Green Oasis”: Chronological Bayesian Modeling of Human and Environmental Dynamics in the Bahariya Area (Egyptian Sahara) from Pharaonic Third Intermediate Period to Medieval Times

et al. 2019

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After the sharp transition to aridity that followed the “Green Sahara” episode 5500 years ago, human settlements took refuge in Egyptian oases, which have to varying extents been “Green Oases” for centuries. In that period, synchronous with the beginning of historical times, the desert’s aridity is generally regarded as broadly comparable to the current period. Natural and anthropogenic deposits studied during 13 excavation campaigns in Bahariya Oasis (Egyptian Desert) suggest that a fairly clear transition from a relatively green environment to much more arid landscapes occurred in the first millennia BCE and CE. This article aims at establishing the chronology of human occupations and environmental change within this period, by combining archaeological and radiocarbon data, using Bayesian modeling. It reveals that the drying up of the environment experienced by desert farmers occurred at some point between the reigns of Antoninus Pius and Caracalla (2nd–3rd century CE). The accuracy of the produced chronological models made it possible to highlight synchronisms between the end of this “Green Oasis” phase and comparable aridification phenomena on regional and interregional scales. Similar degradation processes on remote sites inside the Roman Empire might be explained by globalized anthropogenic agencies overlapping with a broader climatic drying.

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Hydrogeological studies on the Nubian sandstone aquifer in El-Bahariya Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt

Cited by 23 publications

References 2 publications

Current uses of ground penetrating radar in groundwater-dependent ecosystems research

Current uses of ground penetrating radar in groundwater-dependent ecosystems research

Geochemical and Isotopic Evidence of Groundwater Salinization Processes in El Dabaa Area, Northwestern Coast, Egypt

The End of the “Green Oasis”: Chronological Bayesian Modeling of Human and Environmental Dynamics in the Bahariya Area (Egyptian Sahara) from Pharaonic Third Intermediate Period to Medieval Times

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