Water Quality Analysis and Modeling of the Al-Rawdhatain Field, Kuwait

Abstract

The Al-Rawdhatain field is the main freshwater well in Kuwait. The fresh groundwater is produced in the Dibdibba Formation that is the upper formation of the Kuwait group aquifer. The latest annual field production was ~6 Million Imperial Gallons (MIG). The quality of the fresh groundwater in the study area is analyzed to determine the prevailing geochemical processes in the aquifer, groundwater chemistry and genesis types. In addition, the groundwater quality and water level trends of the field during the period of 1985-2017 are investigated. The source rock is identified and the chemical equilibrium of the groundwater with respect to the minerals in the aquifer matrix is assessed. The collected groundwater data were compiled, analyzed, plotted and interpreted. The analyses show that the Al-Rawdhatain field contains fresh groundwater. The salinity of the groundwater ranged from 530-1800 mgL-1 in 1966 from 400-1500 mgL-1 in 1991 and from 950 to 3210 mgL-1 in 2015, indicating an increase in the salinity with time. The chemical properties of the groundwater in the study field are dominated by alkaline earths which exceed alkalis and strong acids that exceed weak acids. The main groundwater chemistry comprises Na 2 SO 4 , NaHCO 3 , Ca (HCO 3) 2 and CaSO 4. Generally, the groundwater exhibits an over saturation with respect to calcite and dolomite and undersaturation with respect to anhydrite, gypsum and halite. The PCO 2 ranges from 1.86-3.11×10-3 atm, representing a deep closed environment system. The application of the mass balance technique indicates that the ion exchange, reverse ion exchange, dissolution of gypsum, calcite precipitation (dedolomitization) and carbonate weathering are the prevailing geochemical processes in the Al-Rawdhatain field.

Hydric Erosion Mapping Enhancement in Korifla Sub-Watershed (Central Morocco)

“…The EPM model (Erosion Potential Method) was developed by Gavrilovic in 1988 and has been used in several studies (Ahmed et al, 2019;Amini et al, 2014;Efthimiou & Lykoudi, 2016;Kouhpeima et al, 2011;Othman et al, 2023;Pavlova-Traykova, 2022;Zahnoun et al, 2019). This method is based on three essential factors: the temperature coefficient (T), the mean annual precipitation (H), and the potential erosion parameter (Z).…”