Northeast Nile Delta Research Articles

Numerical Prediction of Foundation Settlement Resting on Peat Soil at Kafr Saad, Domiat, Egypt

Abstract The aim of this research is to predict foundation settlement resting on peat soil layer using a numerical analysis software Plaxis 2D ver. 2020. The study area located at Kafr Saad Domiat province at extreme north east Nile Delta, Egypt. Peat soil is known to be the worst foundation materials because of its compressibility and low bearing capacity. The studied building was five stories founded on a rigid raft. The foundation depth was at 1.5 m and the net pressure on soil was 50 kN/m2. The soil profile consists of soft clay layer from ground surface to depth of 3m followed by a layer of peat soil of thickness 1m, the final layer was soft to very soft clay layer till end of boring at 15 m depth. The ground water table was is at depth of 1.5m. The settlement of building was observed and recorded every 15 days up to 3 years. By comparing real field settlement observation values with that obtained by using finite element software it was concluded that the software predicted the real field settlement values. Also, to validate the results obtained by finite element software it was compared to values obtained using analytical method.

Spatio Prediction of Soil Capability Modeled with Modified RVFL Using Aptenodytes Forsteri Optimization and Digital Soil Assessment Technique

To meet the needs of Egypt’s rising population, more land must be cultivated. Land evaluation is vital to achieving sustainable agricultural production. To determine the soil capability in the northeast Nile Delta region of Egypt, the present study introduces a new form of integration between the Agriculture Land Evaluation System (ALES Arid) model and the machine learning (ML) approach. The soil capability indicators required for the ALES Arid model were determined for the 47 collected soil profiles covering the study area. These indicators include soil pH, soil salinity, the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), the exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), the organic matter (OM) content, the calcium carbonate (CaCO3) content, the gypsum content, the clay percentage, and the slope. The ALES Arid model was run using these indicators, and soil capability indexes were obtained. Using GIS, these indexes helped to classify the study area into four capability classes, ranging from good to very poor soils. To predict the soil capability, three machine learning algorithms named traditional RVFL, sine cosine algorithm (SCA), and AFO were also applied to the same soil criteria. The developed ML method aims to enhance the prediction of soil capability. This method depends on improving the performance of Random Vector Functional Link (RVFL) using an optimization technique named Aptenodytes Forsteri Optimization (AFO). The operators of AFO were used to determine the best parameters of RVFL since traditional RVFL is sensitive to parameters. To assess the performance of the developed AFO-RVFL method, a set of real collected data was used. The experimental results illustrate the high efficacy of AFO-RVFL in the spatial prediction of soil capability. The correlations found in this study are critical for understanding the overall techniques for predicting soil capability.

Imaging Islamic architecture in the multileveled archaeological settlement of Tell Dibgou, Northeast Nile Delta, Egypt

Abstract Tell Dibgou, northeastern Nile Delta (Egypt), is a typical type of complex archaeological site that contains ruins from different chronological periods (Pharaonic, Byzantine, Greece-Roman and Islamic), as evidenced by the findings of pottery kilns, pottery shards, fired brick and colored glass. This study aims to image the topmost archaeological layer of Islamic architecture using electrical resistivity tomography and land-based magnetic surveys. Two nearby areas in the northern part of Tell Dibgou were investigated; the first was surveyed using resistivity tomography and magnetics, and the second used total-field and vertical magnetic gradients. Several electrode arrays (dipole–dipole, Wenner Beta, Wenner Schlumberger and pole–dipole) were tested to select the one that provides better resolution. Two inversion schemes were applied where the smoothness-constrained inversion smeared and blurred the archaeological boundaries, and the robust inversion produced models with well-defined and sharp edges. The vertical extent of the topmost archaeological layer of Islamic settlers was imaged using the electrical resistivity tomography; however, the presence of slag debris, collapsed bricks, and pottery shards at shallow depths complicated the discrimination of the closest walls. The interpretation of magnetic data (total and vertical gradients) in terms of depth and geometry was executed using semi-automated techniques such as three-dimensional, Euler deconvolution and tilt angle derivative. The geometry of archaeological targets is interpreted to be closed rooms, water tanks and corridors constructed from fired brick walls filled with clay sediments. The depths yielded from both techniques are comparable and range from >1 m to up to 2 m.

Molecular and isotopic evidence for the origin of light oils and associated gases in the onshore northeast Nile Delta

The Nile Delta is a prolific hydrocarbon province in Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean region, particularly for gas resources. However, the origin of discovered hydrocarbons from the onshore Nile Delta has not been comprehensively studied. Fourteen condensates and 10 natural gas samples retrieved from Oligocene–Pliocene pay zones in the onshore northeast Nile Delta were studied for their molecular and isotopic composition to infer origin, source lithology, organic facies, depositional environment, thermal maturity, and reservoir secondary alteration. The isotopic compositions of the analyzed condensates indicate non-marine waxy oils. Results show that these condensates have high Pr/Ph ratios (1.86–6.46), abundant C19 and C20 tricyclic terpane contents relative to the C23 homologue, elevated oleananes, paucity of gammacerane, high hopane/sterane ratios, very low abundance of homohopanes, low dibenzothiophene/phenanthrene ratios and high C29/C27 sterane ratios. Clay-rich source rocks with abundant Type-III terrigenous organic materials deposited in an oxic fluvio-deltaic setting are suggested for these condensates. Light hydrocarbon (C7) compositions indicate that all investigated condensates, except the Allium-1 sample, suffered evaporative fractionation within their reservoirs. Chemometric analysis based on 14 biomarker and isotopic results suggests 3 genetic oil families for these condensates. These oil families have geochemical characteristics that indicate various contributions of terrigenous and marine organic matter and different levels of thermal maturity. The molecular and isotopic results indicate that the onshore Nile Delta natural gases are wet-thermogenic in origin with no signs of microbial biodegradation. These gases were generated by secondary cracking of associated oils derived from Type-III and Type-II/III or Type-II kerogen. The condensate and associated gas samples from Oligocene pay zones have different geochemical signatures than those from Miocene reservoirs, suggesting derivation from different source rocks with variable levels of thermal maturity or the presence of multiple charge systems from a common source in the onshore Nile Delta.

The Specific Adsorption of Manganese and Cadmium in North East Nile Delta Soils

The Specific Adsorption of Manganese and Cadmium in North East Nile Delta Soils

The Specific Adsorption of Copper and Zinc in the North East Nile Delta Soils

The Specific Adsorption of Copper and Zinc in the North East Nile Delta Soils

Petrophysical analysis of the messinian Qawasim Formation in El Tamad Field (Nile Delta)

The onshore Nile Delta has shown promise in oil and gas production in Egypt. However, exploration activities in the past decade indicated conspicuous spatial changes in the quality and geometry of reservoirs. Therefore, petrophysical traits of the productive horizons must be monitored continuously. Based on detailed logging data of five wells, the spatial changes in the reservoir quality and geometry of the Messinian (Late Miocene) Qawasim Formation in El Tamad Field (Northeast Nile delta) was reevaluated. All integrated petrophysical analyses (i.e. lithology, porosity, net pay thickness, shale volume, water saturation, and hydrocarbon saturation) indicated a high spatial variability, where up to 12 different zones have been identified in the Qawasim Formation. Indeed, the Qawasim Zone 2 has the highest potentiality of hydrocarbons (i.e. Main Pay Zone) with good porosity (19.1–27.8%), low shale volume (14.9–22.1%), and low water saturation (22.1–44.4%). The constructed cross-plots (i.e. Neutron-Sonic, Neutron-Bulk Density, and M-N plots) showed that the reservoir is composed mainly of quartz arenite. The dia-porosity cross plot (density porosity ‘ØD’-neutron porosity ‘ØN’) indicated that the pore spaces are interpenetrated with dispersed shale of minor laminated types. To identify the free water-level and the contact with gas or oil, the hydrostatic pressure gradient using pressure-depth plot was implemented. The gas gradient ranges from 0.07 to 0.08 psi/ft with an average 0.075 psi/ft, while the oil pressure gradient ranges from 0.26 to 0.24 psi/ft with an average 0.25 psi/ft and the water gradient is about 0.45 psi/ft. Future exploration and production in the area should take in account that the Qawasim Formation represents a good reservoir but with marked spatial heterogeneity in the reservoir quality and geometry.

Assessing degradation of floodplain soils in north east Nile Delta, Egypt

Assessing degradation of floodplain soils in north east Nile Delta, Egypt

Assessment of Soil Quality Using Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques in Some Areas of North-East Nile Delta, Egypt

Assessment of Soil Quality Using Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques in Some Areas of North-East Nile Delta, Egypt

Use of salinity and resistivity measurements to study the coastal aquifer salinization in a semi-arid region: a case study in northeast Nile Delta, Egypt

To understand the impact of sea level rise (SLR) and aquifer intensive use would cause to the groundwater level and saltwater intrusion, an integrated relationship between salinity and electrical resistivity of a Quaternary aquifer is established in the northern part of East Nile Delta (El Sharkia area), Egypt. Historical data of groundwater salinity are mapped and compared with the current water samples to better understand the salinity spatial variability. The salinity maps show that salinization has increased sustainably. Additionally, the transition/dynamic zone related to SLR and/or excessive pumping can be addressed. In particular, the surface DC resistivity soundings were carried out to demonstrate the vertical and horizontal salinity distributions in the area. In the course of this study, the 1D model generation using a hybrid genetic algorithm (GA) was applied and tested using borehole information. The constructed geoeletrical cross-sections emphasize and delineate the extension of saltwater intrusion. Cleary, it is found that due to excessive pumping from shallow wells over the last decades, the subsurface resistivity and TDS vertical distributions can change rapidly within a short distance. Additionally, the results show that despite the dominance of brackish and saltwater at the northern part of the area, perched low conductive lenses are observed reflecting a low level of groundwater salinization. To obtain a link between water salinity and aquifer resistivity, an empirical relationship was derived to predict the salinity variations at different depths. In comparison with the measured total dissolved solids (TDS), the predicted salinity map appears realistic. These results demonstrate the important role of the integration between resistivity and salinity measurements for mapping the groundwater salinization with depth, and call for further research to plan and manage the area’s water resources.

Autecology and Bioactive Metabolites of Stellaria pallida Growing in North East Nile Delta, Egypt

Autecology and Bioactive Metabolites of Stellaria pallida Growing in North East Nile Delta, Egypt

Quantitative calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy of the subsurface Pliocene sequence, north-east Nile Delta, Egypt

Detailed quantitative calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy was carried out on a subsurface lower–upper Pliocene succession (Kafr El Sheikh Formation) in three offshore wells (Ras El Barr-1, Bougaz-1 and Bougaz East-1), north-east Nile Delta area, Egypt. The standard zonations are easily applied in these sediments and additional biohorizons have been adopted in this study. For early to late Pliocene interval, the following five bioevents are considered reliable: last occurrences (LOs) of Discoaster surculus, D. tamalis, Reticulofenestra pseudoumbilicus and Amaurolithus tricorniculatus and first occurrence of D. asymmetricus. The LO of R. pseudoumbilicus was used to detect the early/late Pliocene boundary in the three studied wells. In Bougaz-1-Well, the LO of D. intercalcaris was used to approximate the Miocene/Pliocene boundary. The calcareous nannofossils are moderate to good preserved. Lower–upper Pliocene sediments are dominated by small-sized reticulofenestrids (R. minuta), Pseudoemiliania lacunosa, Helicosphaera carteri and H. kamptneri. Large size (>7 μm) R. pseudoumbilicus is recorded. Discoaster species is rarely represented. No nannofossils were found in the top part of the Kafr El Sheikh and the overlying Wastani Formations.

Assessment of soil degradation and resilience at northeast Nile Delta, Egypt: The impact on soil productivity

In Egypt, the soil degradation is the main constraint to the development of agricultural sector. In the last few decades, the farmers and the government have made a great effort to resist soil degradation. The resistance of soils to degradation processes by human positive actions is known as soil resilience. This study aims to assess the soil degradation and resilience at northeast Nile Delta and evaluate their impact on the soil productivity. To fulfill these objectives, Landsat ETM+ images and digital elevation model were processed using ENVI 4.7 software to identify the main physiographic units in the area. The recognized units comprised; lacustrine, marine, and alluvial deposits. Twelve soil profiles were undertaken to represent the different mapped units, the locations of the soil profiles were selected to be the same sites previously studied by the Research Institute of Soils and Water (RISW) in 1976. Changes in soil properties and productivity index during the last 35years (1976–2011) were identified. The status of soil degradation was evaluated; the results indicate that the most active soil degradation processes are water logging salinization, and alkalinization. The soil resilience against salinity, alkalinity and water logging was assessed. It was found that the soil productivity index reflects the balance between soil degradation and resilience. The soil degradation processes overcome the soil resilience in most of the study area where the soil productivity index was decreased in 45.82% of the total area.

Economic Potentialities of Some Aquatic Plants Growing in North East Nile Delta, Egypt

Economic Potentialities of Some Aquatic Plants Growing in North East Nile Delta, Egypt

Erosion and accretion rates and their associated sediment characters along Ras El Bar coast, northeast Nile Delta, Egypt

Beach profile data, covering the coast of Ras El Bar, northeast Nile Delta, collected during the years from 1990 to 2002 combined with landsat images for the area and sedimentological investigation have been used to identify beach and nearshore seafloor sediment changes. Along the coast of Ras El Bar, two accretion sectors and one of erosion have been recognized. The first accretion sector is located west of Damietta harbour, where the harbour jetties have halted the littoral transport, while the second one is behind a system of detached breakwaters protecting Ras El Bar resort. Both the two sectors are characterized by growing shoreline with maximum rates ∼15 and 10 m/year, respectively. Also, they have maximum nearshore seafloor accretion rates of ∼18 and 22 cm/year, respectively. The erosion sector is located east of Damietta port and has a maximum rate of shoreline retreat ∼−10 m/year. Erosion of its nearshore seafloor is indicated recording a maximum rate of ∼−20 cm/year. The rate of net sediment volume change in the area indicates shifting of the accretion sector (II) westward, responding to installation of the new breakwaters unit. The two accretion sectors are characterized by dominance of moderately sorted fine sands in their shore area which change seaward into less sorting very fine sands. Beach sands of the eroded sector are poorly sorted medium grain size. The dominant constituents of heavy mineral species in beach and sea-bottom sands are the characteristic assemblages of the Nile deposits. The sands of the eroded zone are relatively enriched in monazite, zircon, tourmaline, garnet, and rutile.

Geographical Clustering of Pancreatic Cancers in the Northeast Nile Delta Region of Egypt

The northeast Nile Delta, Egypt's most polluted region, appears to have a high incidence of pancreatic cancer. We sought to determine whether there is any geographic clustering of pancreatic cancers there and, if so, whether such clustering might be associated with environmental pollution. Using data from the medical records of the Gastrointestinal Surgical Center of Mansoura University in the Dakahleia Province of Egypt and detailed geographical maps of the northeast Nile Delta region, we plotted the residences of all 373 patients who had pancreatic cancer diagnosed between 1995 and 2000. The study region has 15 administrative districts, whose centroid coordinates, population, and number of pancreatic cancer patients were determined for this study. Monte Carlo simulation identified statistically significant clustering of pancreatic cancer in five subdivisions located near the Nile River and Delta plains. This clustering was independent of population size and formed two larger clusters. When data were analyzed by sex, clustering of pancreatic cancer was observed in the same five subdivisions for men but only two subdivisions showed clustering for women. Together, our data suggest that there is clustering of pancreatic cancer cases in the northeast Nile delta region and that this clustering may be related to water pollution. Our data also warrant future studies of the association between water pollution and pancreatic cancer in the region.

Serum cadmium levels in pancreatic cancer patients from the East Nile Delta region of Egypt.

The northeast Nile Delta region exhibits a high incidence of early-onset pancreatic cancer. It is well documented that this region has one of the highest levels of pollution in Egypt. Epidemiologic studies have suggested that cadmium, a prevalent pollutant in the northeast Nile Delta region, plays a role in the development of pancreatic cancer.Objective: We aimed to assess serum cadmium levels as markers of exposure in pancreatic cancer patients and noncancer comparison subjects from the same region in Egypt.Design and Participants: We assessed serum cadmium levels of 31 newly diagnosed pancreatic cancer patients and 52 hospital comparison subjects from Mansoura, Egypt.Evaluation/Measurements: Serum cadmium levels were measured using a novel immunoassay procedure.Results: We found a significant difference between the mean serum cadmium levels in patients versus comparison subjects (mean ± SD, 11.1 ± 7.7 ng/mL vs. 7.1 ± 5.0 ng/mL, respectively; p = 0.012) but not in age, sex, residence, occupation, or smoking status. The odds ratio (OR) for pancreatic cancer risk was significant for serum cadmium level [OR = 1.12; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04–1.23; p = 0.0089] and farming (OR = 3.25; 95% CI, 1.03–11.64; p = 0.0475) but not for age, sex, residence, or smoking status.Conclusions: The results from this pilot study suggest that pancreatic cancer in the East Nile Delta region is significantly associated with high levels of serum cadmium and farming.Relevance to Clinical Practice/Public Health: Future studies should further investigate the etiologic relationship between cadmium exposure and pancreatic carcinogenesis in cadmium-exposed populations.

Floristic features of Damietta area in the north east Nile Delta, Egypt.

Floristic features of three habitat types in the Damietta Governorate namely: field crops, orchards and canal banks aredescribed. The study habitats include 171 species related to 128 genera, grouped under 44 families with Gramineaeattaining 36 species (21.05%), Compositae 21 species (12.28%) and Chenopodiaceae 15 species (8.77%), these arethe main families. The recorded species comprise 98 annual species (57.31%), 8 biennial species (4.68%) and 65perennial species (38.01%). The annual species are classified under three categories as follows: a) all year activeannuals (14 species, b) winter-spring active annuals (64 species) and c) summer-autumn active annuals (20 species).According to the life-form spectrum the recorded species are classified into: therophytes (60.23%),cryptophytes (22.22%), chamaeophytes (7.60%), hemicryptophytes (7.02%), nanophanerophytes (1.75%) andparasites (1.17%).The floristic analysis of the study area reveals that, the Mediterranean elements (mono, bi - pluriregional)include 81 taxa (47.36%), Cosmopolitan element 28 species (16.37%), Palaeotropical 22 species (12.68%) andPantropical 21 species (12.28%). These represent the major chorotypes. The other floristic categories are poorlyrepresented. This indicates that, the study area is obviously belong to the Mediterranean Territory with the enteranceof other elements to the area.

98/01906 Manufacture of coal briquets : Lurji, V. G. and Terentev, Y. I. Russ. RU 2,087,527 (Cl. C10LS/08), 20 Aug 1997, Appl. 95,115,706, 6 Sep 1995. From Izobreteniya 1997, (23), 272. (In Russian)

Geochemists and geologists working with environmental assessment teams have multiple missions: (1) to predict potential pollution problems that could occur; (2) to resolve newly identified or suddenly high profile short- or long-term contamination problems to minimize the impact on the living ecosystem; and (3) to evaluate remediation that might be proposed in light of the practical and future impacts on the environment.Manzalah lagoon, northeast Nile delta, Egypt, has an area of ⪢ 1000 km2, an average depth of 1 m, and yields ⪢ 35% of Egypt's aquacultural production (40 000 metric tons). Half of this is from the 40 km2 Ginka sub-basin. The upper 20 cm of Ginka sub-basin clay-size sediment, deposited after the 1964 closure of the Aswan High Dam, is a sink with significant metal loading (e.g. Hg to 822 ppb; Pb to 110 ppm; plus Zn, Cu, Sn, and Ag). The metals originate from industrial wastes discharged with sewage into Bahr El-Baqar drain which empties into the Ginka sub-basin. Food fish cultivated here can bioaccumulate the metals and pass them up the food web to humans.Bioremediation as part of a managed, engineered wetlands has been proposed as an economic alternative to investment in costly waste treatment facilities and maintenance to abate the heavy metals input to Manzalah lagoon. This approach requires geochemical input for the safe use or secure disposal of the heavy-metal-bearing products of bioremediation. For example, it may be economically feasible to recover and sell the metals. However, a geochemist would warn against using the products of bioremediation in feed for food animal production, as fuel briquets, or as an additive to soils lest their heavy metals recycle to the ecosystem via an atmospheric, hydrospheric or food pool.

Distribution of the weed communities in the North East Nile Delta, Egypt

Distribution of the weed communities in the North East Nile Delta, Egypt