South Sinai Research Articles

Geology and mineralogy of fluorite-bearing quartz veins hosted by the Late Neoproterozoic syenogranite, south Wadi El Barrah area, south Sinai, Egypt

Geology and mineralogy of fluorite-bearing quartz veins hosted by the Late Neoproterozoic syenogranite, south Wadi El Barrah area, south Sinai, Egypt

Improvement of Hyany Date Palms Production as Affected by Magnetite Soil Application and Magnetic Water at South Sinai

Improvement of Hyany Date Palms Production as Affected by Magnetite Soil Application and Magnetic Water at South Sinai

Solute transport and geochemical modeling of the coastal quaternary aquifer, Delta Dahab Basin, South Sinai, Egypt

Solute transport and geochemical modeling of the coastal quaternary aquifer, Delta Dahab Basin, South Sinai, Egypt

The Role of Salicylic Acid in Increasing the Productivity of some Wheat Cultivars under Saline Soil Conditions at South Sinai

The Role of Salicylic Acid in Increasing the Productivity of some Wheat Cultivars under Saline Soil Conditions at South Sinai

Identifying cost-effective locations of storage dams for rainfall harvesting and flash flood mitigation in arid and semi-arid regions

Study regionWadi Tayyibah is located in south Sinai, Egypt, in a region called Abou Zenima, and it is used to develop this study. Study focusFlash floods tremendously impact many facets of human life due to their destructive consequences and the costs associated with mitigating efforts. This study aims to evaluate the harvesting of Runoff by delineating the watersheds using the Hydrologic Engineering Center-1 (HEC-1) model and ArcGIS software in trying to benefit from it in different ways. All morphometric parameters of the basin were considered, and the risk degree of the different sub-basins was determined. The suitable locations of dams were identified using a Geographical Information System (GIS) using the basin's morphometric characteristics. New hydrological insights for the regionThe study proposed a total number of eight dams, including five dams that were recommended for sub-basin (1) and three dams in sub-basin (4), while sub-basins (2) and (3) are not suitable locations to build dams according to the contour map of Wadi Tayyibah. Results indicate that, based on the constructed flash flood hazard maps and the basin's detailed morphometric characteristics, the best locations of dams are Dam (3) in sub-basin (1) and Dam (7) in sub-basin (4), where the runoff volume reached 3.13 million cubic meters (Mm3) and 5.56 Mm3 for return period 100, respectively. This study is useful for decision-makers and designers for using morphometric parameters and flash flood hazard degree maps to select dam locations. Also, the cost-benefit analysis for using the morphometric parameters is required to be investigated.

Межплеменная изменчивость некоторых кефалометрических признаков у бедуинов Южного Синая и попытка ее визуализации методом обобщенного фотопортрета

Introduction. The article presents the results of the development data on kefalometry of the complex South Sinai anthropological expedition. The purpose was to study the variability of cephalometric traits in South Sinai Bedouins. Objectives: to identify possible phenotypic differences between the tribes, to assess the position of the Bedouin tribes against the background of the Middle Eastern and North African populations according to literary data; to create male composite photo portraits (CPP) from Bedouin tribes Awlad Said and Gebeliya. Materials and methods. Cephalometric data from three tribal samples were used: the tribes of Gebeliya, Muzeina and the combined group "other tribes", which includes data on the Awlad Said tribe. To identify intertribal differences, analysis of variance was applied. Literature data on Middle Eastern and North African samples were used for comparative analysis by the method of multidimensional scaling. To create composite photographic portraits (according to F. Galton´s method), an improved program "Face to face" by Syroezhkin-Maurer (by superposition of three points) was used. Full-face and profile individual Bedouins photographic images from the tribes of Gebeliya (N = 21), Awlad Said t (N=21) and Muzeina (N=19, only frontal) were selected for the work. Results. Statistically significant differences between the Bedouin tribal samples were revealed in such traits as: minimal forehead breadth and mandibular diameter, facial index, height of the lower facial segment and head circumference. Composite full-face and profile photo portraits of Bedouin men of the Awlad Said and Gebeliya tribes, full-face portraits of representatives of the Muzeina tribe were obtained. The results of biometric analysis on the latitudinal traits of the face partly coincide with the analysis of visual information on composite photo portraits. According to the measurement data of the face and head, it was revealed that Bedouin tribes form a compact cluster that differs from neighboring populations. Conclusion. In the male part of the combined Bedouin sample, for a number of cephalometric features, significant intertribal differences were revealed both by statistical methods and visually (when considering full-face and profile male composite photo portraits). It is shown that endogamous Bedouin tribes of the South Sinai Peninsula are very close to each other by a combination of cephalometric traits, and they significantly different from other neighboring populations. The South Sinai Bedouins form a kind of unique aggregation, whose peculiarity, probably, was formed under the influence of certain socio-historical and environmental factors. @ 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary in south Sinai, Egypt: Paleoenvironment and sequence stratigraphy implications

High-resolution quantitative analysis of the benthonic foraminifera throughout the K–Pg boundary interval on four sections (Wadi Nukhul, Abu Qada, Thamad, and Sudr Al Hitan) in south Sinai, Egypt was conducted. Planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy indicates a complete K–Pg boundary interval in W. Nukhul section, while minor hiatuses characterized the other sections. Benthonic foraminifera reflect outer neritic-upper bathyal setting for the studied interval, while outer neritic setting marks the latest Maastrichtian. The upper Maastrichtian assemblage indicates mesotrophic to slightly eutrophic marine conditions. At the K–Pg boundary in W. Nukhul, benthonic foraminifera display a significant turnover. A major change in the benthonic foraminifera assemblage which is marked by a decrease in the infaunal taxa and buliminids indicates a shortage in the food supply to the sea floor at the K–Pg boundary. This pattern was associated with increased abundance of the epifaunal taxa indicating oligotrophic conditions that linked to the food web collapse due to extinction of the marine primary producers. A partial recovery of the benthonic foraminifera was observed in the early Danian (Pα and lower part of P1a zones). A comparison between the data of the present study and other K–Pg boundary sites in the Tethyan realm indicates a similar shortage in the food supply with no oxygen deficiency. Two third-order sequences were identified in the studied interval based on the biotic attributes of the fauna. The obtained sea level curve was compared to the global sea level curve.

Assessing environmental and radiological impacts and lithological mapping of beryl-bearing rocks in Egypt using high-resolution sentinel-2 remote sensing images

Emerald and other beryls represent a family of the most valuable gemstone around the world and particularly in Egypt. Beryllium (Be) contents in beryl-bearing bedrocks in south Sinai (Wadi Ghazala and Wadi Sedri), and in central and south Eastern Desert of Egypt (Igla area, Zabara-Um Addebaa belt, Homret Akarem, and Homret Mukpid) were investigated in this study. The environmental risk levels of Be, associated major ions, and heavy metals in groundwater nearby to beryl-bearing mineralization were also evaluated. Results showed that Be contents ranged from 1 to 374 ppm in beryl-bearing bedrocks, while in nearby groundwater, Be content has a range of 0.0001–0.00044 mg/L with an average of 0.00032 mg/L, which is within the permissible levels and below (0.004) the U.S. EPA maximum contaminant level (MCL). Most levels of heavy metals (e.g., Be, B, Ni, V, Fe, and Al) in the investigated groundwater of central and south Eastern Desert and south Sinai are within the permissible levels and below their corresponding U.S. EPA MCLs. This study also investigated the radiological risk of natural radionuclides distributed in beryl-bearing bedrocks in the study area using gamma spectrometry; Sodium Iodide [NaI(Tl)] scintillation detector. Among the estimated mean 238U, 232Th, and 226Ra activity concentrations of the studied beryl-bearing rocks, Homret Mukpid (79, 87.15, 60.26 Bq kg−1) and Homret Akarem (111.6, 51.17, 85.1 Bq kg−1) contain the highest values. This may be attributed to their highly fractionated granitic rocks that host uranium and thorium reservoir minerals such as zircon, allanite, and monazite. The estimated data of multi-radiological parameters such as absorbed gamma dose, outdoor and indoor annual effective dose, radium equivalent activity, internal and external indices, index of excess cancer, and effective dose to human organs reflecting no significant impacts from the emitted natural gamma radiation.

Optimization of wind off-grid system for remote area: Egyptian application

Due unexpected nature of renewable energy systems, the (Wind/Diesel/Battery) (W/D/B) off-grid system has initially been investigated at a South Sinai location in Egypt for home-scale consumption. Eight different systems, each of which consists of a small wind turbine, storage batteries, and diesel generator, are investigated in accordance with the varying needs of the power loads and seasonal weather data. The major goal is to investigate how adding wind power as an energy source will affect the price of electricity generated while taking into account the cost of reducing CO2 emissions as an external benefit of the wind turbine, which emits no pollutants during operation. In order to compare a Taguchi OA design to a two-level full factorial design to evaluate the systems at two separate sites (South Sinai and the Western Desert in Egypt), a design evaluation tool in DOE++ will be used. To pinpoint the crucial variables and analyze the impact of six different factors on eight different sets, Taguchi OA is used. The proportion of power shortfall is a production indicator, while the net present cost (NPC) and cost of energy (COE) are used as economic indicators. The simulation results demonstrate that W/D/B systems are economically viable for the hypothetical community site when using HOMER software, with electricity generated at a cost of about 0.285$/kWh without accounting for external benefits and 0.221$/kWh if CO2 emissions are competitive with diesel-only systems, where COE is 0.432$/kWh. As a new evaluation approach, the Box-Cox transformation calculated the best λ is about −2 at the two locations, indicating similar technique behaviors, and the fitted probability shows, meaning that the significant impact of system components are wind turbines. Regression model of CO2 emission is demonstrated to be successful for estimates at the Western Desert location than the South Sinai region

Financial and Economic Analysis of Grape Crop Production in South Sinai Governorate

Financial and Economic Analysis of Grape Crop Production in South Sinai Governorate

The impact of social capital on enhancing community affiliation of farmers in one of the villages of South Sinai Governorate

The impact of social capital on enhancing community affiliation of farmers in one of the villages of South Sinai Governorate

Geochemical Characteristics of the Syn-Tectonic Granitoids along Wadi El-Sheikh Area, South Sinai, Egypt.

Geochemical Characteristics of the Syn-Tectonic Granitoids along Wadi El-Sheikh Area, South Sinai, Egypt.

Geochemistry and assessment of groundwater resource in coastal arid region aquifer (Dahab delta, South Sinai, Egypt)

Dahab is a tourist city located in the Sinai Peninsula, downstream of the Dahab watershed, as a part of the arid coastal region. Groundwater samples have been collected from the Dahab delta and were tested for salinity, major ions, minor elements, and heavy metals to investigate the geochemical processes deteriorating the groundwater quality. The spatial distribution of major, minor, and trace elements integrated with the geochemical interrelationships using the cumulative salinity bases mixing curves have been utilized to investigate the main source(s) of groundwater recharge and salinization origin in Dahab delta aquifer. The groundwater salinity ranges from 339 upstream of Dahab watershed to 53,216 mg/L downstream in the delta area. The groundwater varies from fresh, brackish, and saline water. The spatial distributions of major ions, minor elements (Si, and Br), and heavy metals (B and Sr) confirm that the recharge comes from the upstream watershed. According to the mixing model curves, groundwater quality has declined due to interactions with the aquifer matrix, mixing with seawater, and rejected brine from the reverse osmosis desalination plants. The fresh/brackish groundwater classes have been recorded in the northwestern part of the study area close to the basement rocks, where the Quaternary aquifer receives considerable recharge through the underneath fractures, joints, and faults that enhance the subsurface recharge. The samples with a high saline groundwater class have been recorded in the eastern and southern parts of the delta, demonstrating the effects of seawater intrusion. Based on WHO guideline criteria, the assessment of groundwater for various uses has determined that most groundwater samples from the alluvial aquifer (91%) are unfit for human consumption. The Water Quality Index indicates that the groundwater in the southern part of the delta is not suitable for all uses due to mixing with the seawater, and injection of rejected brine water from the desalination plants. In the north, groundwater is unfit for drinking and aquatics, excellent for recreation, marginal for irrigation, and fair for livestock. The groundwater in coastal arid region aquifers has deteriorated due to seawater intrusion.

The prevalence and molecular detection of bovine cysticercosis and its impact on slaughtered cattle in Egypt.

Cysticercus bovis is the metacestode of the commonly defined foodborne cestode, Taenia saginata. It infects heart, masseter muscles and other muscular sites of cattle causing bovine cysticercosis. So, a retrospective study using archival documents from authorized agencies is done during the period of 2018-2020 with estimating economic losses. Cysts were collected from municipal Beni-Suef and Basatin abattoirs. Molecular approach including cPCR and sequencing analysis is used to prove the species. The prevalence was 0.34% in Beni-Suef abattoir and 5.70% in Basatin abattoir including heads, hearts or all carcasses condemned. Among 27 provinces surveyed, the highest prevalence was recorded in Aswan followed by Cairo, Suez and Red Sea. Moreover, 19 provinces (Cairo, Alexandria, Suez, Dakahlia, Sharkia, Qalyobia, Kafrelsheikh, Gharbia, Menofiya, Ismailia, Giza, Beni-Suef, Assiut, Sohag, Qena, Aswan, Red Sea, South Sinai and El-Wadi El-Gadid) recorded bovine cysticercosis in 2018, 2019 and 2020. On the other hand, Luxor and North Sinai had no infections. The percentages of condemnation among slaughtered cattle were 1.38, 1.49 and 0.87% in 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. Condemnations significantly varied among north, middle and south districts of Egypt, and also varied annually. Molecularly, a diagnostic band at an amplicon size 253bp targeting the COI gene specific for Cycticercus bovis was revealed. The obtained sequences showed 100% identity with the different Taenia saginata COI GB sequence isolates in many countries worldwide. The phylogenetic analysis method showed that the obtained sequences originating from the same clade of Taenia saginata GB isolates globally. Careful meat inspection as well as strict hygienic measures is recommended for both veterinarians and public.

Biodiversity of Rhizoctonia solani in Phaseolus vulgaris Seeds in East Delta of Egypt

Seventy-eight common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) seed samples were collected from twenty-one field locations across six governorates (Ismailia, Sharkia, Port Said, South Sinai, North Sinai, and Suez) in the East Delta region of Egypt between 2021 and 2022. Thirty-five Rhizoctonia solani Kühn were isolated. Sharkia had the highest percentage of R. solani isolates (RS) from the collected samples (59%), followed by Ismailia, South Sinai, Suez, North Sinai, and Port Said (49.7%, 36.7%, 33%, 29.2%, and 27.8%, respectively). Pathogenicity tests proved that the seven highest-virulence strains of R. solani had a pre-emergence damping off ranging from 17% to 30% and a post-emergence damping off ranging from 11% to 20%. The seven most pathogenic isolates were identified using the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) with code numbers as follows: R. solani RSA1, R. solani RIT2, R. solani RIF3, R. solani RSoR4, R. solani RNB5, R. solani RSzA6, and R. solani RPS11. Principle component analysis (PCA), which depends on the pathogenicity result and soil variables, revealed that soil texture and soil water holding capacity (MWHC) were the most effective factors in grouping and clustering the studied R. solani isolates from the different locations into two groups. From this study, it can be established that the biodiversity of R. solani in the East Delta area of Egypt depends on changes in the environmental conditions and soil variables. The soil type and pH variables have the greatest impact on R. solani diversity, followed by the humidity-holding ability and soil porosity.

Performance Analysis of Hybrid PV-Diesel Generator with Energy Storage System in South Sinai, Egypt

Background: Renewable energy systems are the most promising long-term sustainable energylong-term sustainable energy, with numerous advantages. Renewable energy systems that combine traditional and renewable resources are now cost-effective and have a low carbon impact. These systems are becoming more popular as a feasible option for rural areas, particularly when it comes to grid connectivity. Objective: This study discusses the ideal design and size for separated PV batteries and dieselbased renewable energy systems. South Sinai, Egypt, was chosen as the testing location for unusual environmental conditions, system specs, and daily energy requirement statistics to analyze the total energy required for a specific site. The load under investigation is a school complex in one of the governorate's cities. Method: The complete system is simulated and tested using the MATLAB/Simulink program. Results: In this study the amount of energy required by the load is determined. The load power is compared with the system output power to justify the reliability of the system. The system output voltage is shown which is sinusoidal wave. The management control system between PV, diesel and battery is shown Conclusion: The results show that the system is reliable; the control strategies always indicate the load requirement and minimize the diesel run time.

Review of Toponymy on the Periphery: Placenames of the Eastern Desert, Red Sea, and South Sinai in Egyptian Documents from the Early Dynastic until the End of the New Kingdom


 
 
 Toponymy on the Periphery: Placenames of the Eastern Desert, Red Sea, and South Sinai in Egyptian Documents from the Early Dynastic until the End of the New Kingdom. By Julien Charles Cooper. Probleme der Ägyptologie, vol. 39. Leiden: Brill, 2020. Pp. xvii + 718. $324.
 
 

Soil Classification and Land Capability Evaluation for Sustainable Agricultural Use in South Sinai, Egypt

Soil Classification and Land Capability Evaluation for Sustainable Agricultural Use in South Sinai, Egypt

Environmental Sustainability of Water Resources in Coastal Aquifers, Case Study: El-Qaa Plain, South Sinai, Egypt

Water resources management is a vital need in arid and semi-arid regions such as Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. Accordingly, the sustainability of water resources in this arid environment should be examined in terms of the possibility of groundwater recharge, particularly through runoff water, while identifying the most appropriate potential sites for drilling new water wells to cover current and future needs. The aquifer system of El-Qaa Plain in South Sinai is considered one of the structural basins associated with the tectonic setting of the Gulf of Suez. It is the main source of high-quality water in South Sinai. The present work provided an integration of mathematical flow modeling, hydrochemical composition, environmental isotopic signature, watershed modeling system (WMS), and remote sensing (RS) tools to determine the aquifer sustainability and recharge mechanisms. The obtained results indicated the following: (a) the salinity of the water ranged between 326.4 and 2261 ppm, while the environmental isotope values ranged between −6.28 to −4.48‰ for δ18O and −29.87 to −21.7‰ for δ2H, which reveals the phase of recharge and mixing between ancient water and recent rainwater; (b) sites for three dams in three sub-watersheds were proposed to harvest approximately 790,000 m3/y of runoff water to enhance groundwater recharge of the aquifer system; (c) and five scenarios using MODFLOW indicated that water drawdown is acceptable by adding 10 new production wells (discharge rate increased by 3600 m3/day). Moreover, increasing the recharge rate by 2% from the base case, leads to an increase in the piezometric water level with an average value of 0.13 masl, which reflects the positive effects of the proposed runoff water harvesting facilities. The integration applied in this work represents an integrated management system for water resources (surface and groundwater) which is suitable for application in arid or semi-arid coastal and similar areas.

Integration between some soil improvers and salt-resistant microbes to improve some soil properties and their productivity in Ras Suder, South Sinai Egypt.

A Field experiment was conducted on a sandy loam soil in Wadi Sudr South Sinai, Egypt to study the effect of a mixture of PW and FYM, using a combination (0 +0, 50 +0, 37.5 +12.5, 25 +25, 12.5 +37.5 and 0 +50 Mg ha-1) for mixture FYM and PW, respectively, with two levels of SRM (0 and 7 L ha-1) to reflect some of the calcareous soil properties below saline irrigation and to improve the yield of sunflower. The data obtained showed that soil BD, PR, HC, pH and EC decreased with increasing application rates of PW using two rates of SRM, while the MWHC and OC were increased. The data obtained showed that sunflower seeds yield increased with increasing application rates of PW using two rates of SRM. The average increases of sunflower seeds yield were 23.21, 27.68, 44.64, 59.82 and 75.00 % relative to the control, (0 FYM + 0 PW) Mg ha-1 with the application mix of FYM and PW without SRM on the same mixes, respectively. While they achieved 29.82, 39.47, 55.26, 73.68 and 90.35% respectively for blends of FYM and PW with SRM additions on the same blend. High significance was found between sunflower seed yield altered by FYM and PW mixing and either pH, EC, OC, BD, PR, HC or MWHC, respectively. So, we can say that the application mix of FYM+PW is considered effective in improving calcareous soil properties and productivity, which reduces environmental pollution from these wastes.