Western Desert Area Research Articles

Treatment methodology for sludge and scale TENORM waste from petroleum industry in Egypt

In this present laboratory work, experiments have been steered to decrease the activity concentration of 226Ra in sludge and scale (TENORM) which Technically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials waste samples deposited in oilfield tubes and tools, sludge and scale, Egypt, respectively. The influence of the leaching parameters on the radium dissolution mechanism using nonionic surfactant tween 20 as a leaching agent has been determined. The greatest leaching percent of radium isotopes approximated 58.31 % of the total radium percentage in bulk sludge TENORM waste sample (size < 2.5 mm) using tween 20 as surfactant solutions through three successive cycles at the optimum conditions. The greatest leaching percent of radium isotopes was 77.98 and 86.12 % of the total radium percentage in scale TENORM waste samples from two different places, the first place is the western desert area and the second place is Ras Shukeir area, respectively, (size < 1 mm) using tween 20 solutions through four successive cycles at the optimum conditions. The kinetic calculations indicated that the leaching procedure can be explained by the Shrinking Core Model with activation energy equivalent to 18.18 kJ/mol. The low value of activation energy illustrated that the diffusion process controls the sludge TENORM waste sample leaching rate. The estimated values of thermodynamics parameters (ΔG°, ΔH°, ΔS°) were appointed in this study and showed the dissolution of radium is a non-spontaneous response and temperature dependent.

Characterizing the Development of Photovoltaic Power Stations and Their Impacts on Vegetation Conditions from Landsat Time Series during 1990–2022

To achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in China, photovoltaic (PV) power generation has become increasingly important for promoting a low-carbon transition. The central and western desert areas of China have been identified as major areas for the construction of large PV bases. Remote sensing technology has been used to map the spatial distribution and development status of PV power stations quickly and accurately in ecologically fragile areas, as well as assess the ecological and environmental impact of their construction. However, current remote sensing monitoring of PV power stations focuses mainly on mapping and time series analysis to measure their development process and assess the environmental conditions on a large scale over a long period of time. Therefore, we constructed a random forest model based on image spectral and texture features and mapped 2022 PV power stations in the junction area of Hobq Desert, Ulan Buh Desert, Tengger Desert, and Mu Us Sands in China. Following that, we identified the construction time of the PV power stations by identifying the turning points of the normalized construction land index (NDBI) time series from 1990–2022 using the LandTrendr method. To assess the ecological impact of PV power stations, we used the NDVI to measure the change in vegetation condition before and after the construction of PV power stations and constructed NDVI changes for PV power stations constructed in different years. The results showed that this mapping method achieved an overall classification accuracy of 96.65% and a Kappa coefficient of 0.92. The root mean square error (RMSE) for construction year identification was less than 0.5, and the number of new PV power stations increased significantly after 2010, reaching a total area of 14.52 km2 by 2016, which is consistent with the trend driven by national and regional development plans. Furthermore, the study found that the vegetation cover level could be restored to the average level before construction within 5–6 years and continued to increase after that. These findings may help government policymakers and practitioners make decisions on PV power station planning and ecological environment protection, thus contributing promptly to the achievement of China’s dual carbon goals.

Integrated geophysical and geochemical study for investigating the hydrocarbon potentiality of West Dakhla area, Western Desert, Egypt, as an extension of Libyan Kufra basin

The present study represents an integrated study using the potential field maps and well geochemical data of the West Dakhla area in the western central area of the Western Desert area, Egypt. The potential field data are represented by the airborne gravity and total magnetic maps acquired by the Nuclear Material Authority (NMA), Egypt, on behalf of Dana Petroleum Company. The geochemical data consist of geochemical analysis in Ammonite-1 well that were done for source rock evaluation. Different processing techniques on the gravity and magnetic maps are carried out for separating the regional and residual separation and filtering. Modelling and Euler deconvolution tools are utilized for proposing the depth to basement and constructing basement-depth maps to infer the basin configuration of the study area. Before acquiring the present geophysical data, the study area wasn't subjected to any exploration investigations. Therefore, these data and this study are considered as the first efforts carried out and submitted for publication in this area. In addition, a comparison of the present basin is done with matched basins in southern Libya, where this basin is expected to have similar geological features. The study indicates that the studied basin may be a part of a wider basin extending in Egypt and Libya. This basin is expected to have the thickness and features that are favourable for hydrocarbon habitat. The geochemical analysis shows TOC values ranging from poor to very good source rock potentiality.

An impressive new species of mugadina from queensland with notes on a congeneric species (cicadidae: cicadettinae: cicadettini)

This contribution details the morphology, distribution, and song characteristics of a new grass cicada species within the genus Mugadina Moulds, 2012, previously represented by only two much smaller species. The new species is M. superba sp. n. It occurs widely in central Queensland, occurring in a broad curved zone between the western desert areas and the eastern coast. Details of the morphology and the ticking calling songs presented are given, and detailed comparisons are made of morphology and songs between M. superba sp. n. and M. marshalli (Distant, 1911).

Influencing factors of the grassland ecological compensation policy to herdsmen's behavioral response: An empirical study in Hexi corridor

Ecological protection of grassland is an important part of the construction of ecological civilization in China. Grassland ecological compensation and reward policy is an important policy for grassland ecological protection in China. As the main participants in the grassland ecological compensation and reward policy, herders' behavioral response largely affects the effect of policy implementation. In this study, 550 herders in two regions with different compensation standards were selected as samples, and the comparative analysis of herdsmen's response to policy behavior and influence factors was carried out. The results showed that the grassland area owned by herders, ethnic group and perception of policies were important factors to affect the response of herdsmen's behavior in the two regions, but larger differences existed in the two regions. The grassland area and family size owned by herders are important factors that affect the response of herdsmen's behavior in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau; However, the ethnic group, the understanding of policy and family income are the important factors in the western desert area.

Integrated Field Development Plans of Akkas Gas Field

Akkas gas field is the biggest natural gas field in Iraq that is located in the western desert area. The field contains around (9 BSCF) of approved gas reserve from the conventional rock source.&#x0D; This paper presents field development planning process combined with economic analysis comprises, the number of wells that yields in maximum net present value (NPV), the recovery factor and raw gas production rates for the total number of suggested wells that have been estimated, as well as the cumulative gas produced with time.&#x0D; The development plans were elaborated concerning different types of well geometries and operational constraints. Full comparison analysis for all presented plans regarding NPV, recovery factor, discounted cash flow versus production time, forecasted production rate, as well as forecasted cumulative production with time have been presented.&#x0D; Sensitivity analysis has been made to determine well and reservoir controlling parameters that leads for best operating field development plans.&#x0D; The study shows the effectiveness of horizontal well type compared with vertical wells; as well as, the effect of reservoir permeability on field development plans, the results show that the field could be operated at target plateau rates of (250, 500 and 750 MMSCF/D). It also shows the superior effect of stimulation processes in increasing the NPV and field recovery factor using less number of wells

Egypt's Coastal Vulnerability to Sea-Level Rise and Storm Surge: Present and Future Conditions.

We assess the relative vulnerability of the Mediterranean shoreline of Egypt (about 1000 km in length) to climate change (i.e., sea-level rise [SLR], storm surge flooding, and coastal erosion) by using a Climate-improved Coastal Vulnerability Index (CCVI). We integrate information relative to a multidimensional set of physical, geological, and socioeconomic variables, and add to the mainstream literature the consideration of both a reference and a climate change scenario, assuming the representative concentration pathway 8.5 W/m2 (RCP8.5) for the 21st century in the Mediterranean region. Results report that approximately 1% (~43 km²) of the mapped shoreline is classifiable as having a high or very high vulnerability, whereas approximately 80% (4652 km²) shows very low vulnerability. As expected, exposure to inundation and erosion is especially relevant in highly developed and urbanized coastal areas. Along the shoreline, while the Nile Delta region is the most prone area to coastal erosion and permanent or occasional inundations (both in the reference and in the climate scenario), results show the Western Desert area to be less vulnerable due to its geological characteristics (i.e., rocky and cliffed coasts, steeper coastal slope). The application of the CCVI to the coast of Egypt can be considered as a first screening of the hot-spot risk areas at the national scale. The results of the analysis, including vulnerability maps and indicators, can be used to support the development of climate adaptation and integrated coastal zone management strategies. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:761-772. © 2020 SETAC.

草原生态补助奖励政策牧民满意度及影响因素研究——基于甘肃青藏高原区与西部荒漠区的实证

草原生态补助奖励政策牧民满意度及影响因素研究——基于甘肃青藏高原区与西部荒漠区的实证

Environmental assessment for major development projects: A case study “Qattara Depression”

The environmental assessment plays an important role in guiding the planning process. This requires employing advanced tools and methods such as the Geographic information system (GIS) to back the decision-making process. The study presents the application on a case study “Qattara Depression”- a 20,000 Km2 development project which has received a lot of attention; on one hand, for its expected benefits to achieve Egypt 2030 national plan in terms of clean electricity generation, while, on the other hand, some concerns have been raised regarding its environmental consequences. The study centers on the project's desalination development scenario considering five main environmental impacts; loss of biodiversity and threats to natural habitat, hydrogeological environmental impact, land use effect and terrestrial impact, impacts on marine life as well as natural hazards and casualties. The study uses the GIS overlaying and querying tools to determine and categorize the problematic areas into major, moderate and minor impact areas, in addition to providing recommendations for addressing their associated challenges. As a preliminary step, the study defines the limits of the area of interest (AOI) in terms of its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea and the River Nile. Each impact is represented with feature datasets including a number of feature classes. Then, the buffering impact area of each individual feature class is defined and overlaid to determine the extent of impacts for the proposed scenario. It is found that the critical sensitive areas are located in the northeastern tip and the western part of the AOI. This indicates that these areas should receive careful attention while planning for any kind of development activities. The results contribute towards setting a comprehensive clue to support the strategic planning objectives and mitigation measures for this huge development project in the Western Desert area.

Inversion Research on Aerodynamic Roughness of Different Underlying Surfaces in Aral Sea Basin

The study of water and heat flux in Aral Sea Basin is a hot topic in the study of water resources in Central Asia. Aerodynamic roughness is the key parameter of inversion. Zom is retrieved based on NDVI and Albedo simulation and verified by the vegetation height in Central Asia. The results show that the inversion of Zom by this model is basically reasonable. In 2018, the monthly average value of Zom is about 0.056m, the vegetation height in Aral Sea Basin is about 0.44m, and both Zom and vegetation height in space are higher in eastern mountainous areas than in western desert areas.

Mapping groundwater quality Index for irrigation in the Dibdibba aquifer at Karbala - Najaf plateau, central of Iraq

Mapping groundwater quality Index for irrigation is of great importance for agricultural issues. As groundwater is a vital source of water for domestic and agricultural activities in Iraqi Western Desert area, where the study area (Dibdibba aquifer) represents the extreme eastern part of it, evaluation of groundwater quality and its suitability for irrigation is important. This study aims to develop decision support tools for identifying the optimal locations of groundwater regarding its quality to meet the future demands of the study area. Samples were collected during the wet season (April-May 2017 (and analyzed for determining the physicochemical properties. The indices used in the quality assessment were the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), sodium percentage (%Na+), magnesium hazard (MH), and irrigation water quality index (IWQI), incorporating the spatial variation using the GIS-based multi-criteria system highlighted the spatial variation of groundwater quality for irrigation in the study area. This spatial distribution indicated that groundwater is generally of moderate quality in the Dibdibba aquifer.

A Rapid Graphical Solution for Determining the Presence of Remnant Magnetization in the Basement Rocks of Western Iraq

A Rapid Graphical Solution for Determining the Presence of Remnant Magnetization in the Basement Rocks of Western Iraq

A comparison of OSL ages derived from silt-sized quartz and polymineral grains from Chinese loess

Recent work (Watanuki et al., submitted) has shown by comparison with independent age control that silt-sized quartz grains extracted from Japanese loess can be used for optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating for equivalent doses of up to 425 Gy (∼500 ka at these sites). Further comparison with infrared (IR) stimulated and post-IR blue-stimulated OSL showed that the latter signal gave accurate ages, and was probably dominated by quartz, whereas the former systematically underestimated ages in the range 30–600 ka, and showed fading in laboratory tests. The main source of the loess deposits in Japan is the Chinese mainland; in eastern Asia, loess is widely distributed by the prevailing westerly winds, and one of the main sources is in the western desert areas of China. Unfortunately, independent age control is very unusual in loess deposits in China, and there is little evidence for the accuracy of existing luminescence ages from this material. As an alternative approach, this study builds on the Japanese results by using loess from two Chinese sites, and examining the relationship between single-aliquot regeneration dose IR and post-IR blue-stimulated luminescence ages from polymineral samples, and blue-stimulated quartz luminescence ages. The normalized blue-stimulated OSL intensity from quartz from the eastern site was about 10 times that from the west, suggesting either a different source of material, or (less likely) an increase in quartz sensitivity with transport distance. By comparison with quartz results we conclude that, in our samples of Chinese loess, the post-IR blue-stimulated OSL is the more reliable polymineral signal, when compared with the IR signal. It may nevertheless include a feldspar component, and this should be tested for using laboratory fading experiments.

Paleozoic and Mesozoic Stratigraphy and Oil Potential of Western Desert: ABSTRACT

The depocenter of the Paleozoic basin in western Egypt lies in the northwestern part of the Western Desert. The sediments are primarily terrigenous (with two minor phases of vulcanicity) laid down in an epicontinental sea. The depositional axis of the basin, where thicknesses in excess of 2,800 m (9,200 ft) have been recorded, has a northwesterly trend to the vicinity of the Siwa Oasis. A less well-defined shallower basin with a northerly trend lies to the southwest. The facies show such similarities to those found in the Ghadames and Murzuq basins that the same formational names are applied. Farther east, a possible Paleozoic basin lies in the Abu Gharadig area where 1,300 m (4,265 ft) of sediments were drilled. The limits of this presumed basin are questionable since ba ement was not reached. Following the deposition of the Paleozoic section, there was a marked hiatus; the time of Hercynian movements for Permian and Triassic beds is absent. Uplift and the presence of volcanics dated in Permian-Carboniferous time are indicative of Hercynian tectonic activity. Only in Early Jurassic time did the seas again begin to encroach upon the Western Desert area from the Salum basin in the northwest and the Wadi Natrun basin to the east and northeast. This process continued, until by the time of the Oxfordian transgression maximum there was a relatively uniform carbonate cover to about lat. 29°N over the Western Desert. Further tectonic uplift accompanied by faulting and marine regression is dated from late Kimmeridgian time to the beginning of the Cretaceous, when transgression began once again. The pattern of transgression, however, differs from that of the Jurassic; the two basins, the more westerly Matru basin and the easterly Alamein basin, both have north-northeasterly trends, although by Aptian times they are less clearly distinguishable. The dominant feature, new in the Western Desert, was the development of an east-west extensional basin, the Abu Gharadig basin, in Cretaceous time. It was bounded on the north (30°N) by the Rabat Abu Rivash ridge, which persisted through the Cretaceous. The trough became less distinctive in Cenozoic times when a further trough, the Tiba basin, developed north of the ridge. Production from the northern Western Desert until recently has been disappointing. Exploration results from the Paleozoic Section have yielded little, but the existence of a marine section suggests that the area northeast of Siwa still has potential. The thick deeply buried Jurassic marine sequence in the Western Desert may be the source for at least part of the production from Cretaceous horizons in the Abu Ghradig, Alamein, and Razzak oil and gas fields. End_of_Article - Last_Page 495------------

Technical and ecological impacts of the High Aswan Dam

Since the High Aswan Dam was planned in 1952 until it was completed in 1970, it was associated with numerous technical, social and political problems. The side-effects of the dam after its construction until the present time are the concern of various authorities all over the world. The technical and ecological impacts of the dam are discussed and the potential remedies are presented. A channel is proposed from the reservoir downstrean the dam with a branch to feed the Western Desert areas. The performance of the channel could be improved by a proposed submerged weir to divert the silts back to Egypt. The proposed remedy would bring back the fertility of the land, reduce the cost of chemical fertilizers, prevent erosion in the Nile and other waterways, stop the advance of the Mediterranean shoreline and would solve other social, technical and economic problems.

Groundwater Investigation in the Iraqi Western Desert (Al-Mat Area) Using Nuclear Technique

Four boreholes were drilled in the Iraqi Western Desert area, and many isotope injection experiments were carried out to determine the effective porosity, permeability, transmissibility, storage coefficient, and velocity of the underground water flow using 131I as a radioactive tracer.The results indicate that the critical hydrological parameters (effective porosity, permeability, transmissibility, and storage coefficient) of the aquifer and the quantity of the water are adequate to provide sufficient high-quality water suitable for economic utilization.The radioactive technique used in drawdown for permeability, transmissibility, and storage coefficient measurements is specific and gave good results, whereas the classical method might be subject to technical operation errors.

Nature of Cretaceous Sedimentation in Western Desert, Egypt

The Cretaceous System in the Western Desert of Egypt has several sedimentary and tectonic features that are not observed in the underlying formations. Throughout Cretaceous time, changes in the tectonic pattern, depositional environment, and sediment types indicate different magnitudes of tectonic instability. From the available surface and subsurface data, 22 stratigraphic maps were constructed to show thickness variations, facies changes, and paleogeology of Early Cretaceous, Cenomanian, Turonian, and Senonian times. The Lower Cretaceous sequence is a thick fluviatile-marine to marine sequence of carbonaceous sandstone with intercalations of carbonaceous shale and a small amount of limestone. Two maximum thickness trends are present. Maximum thickness is about 3,100 m. A deeply weathered, high Basement Complex massif east of the desert, extended to the present Nile Valley. The configuration of this massif affected the nature and type of sediments that were deposited. As the sea transgressed southward, the sites of maximum Cretaceous deposition were changed. During Cenomanian time, the principal basin was at the center of the Western Desert; maximum thickness is about 900 m. The Cenomanian is marine and continental, and consists of sandstone and shale in the south, and limestone both at the rim of the basin and in the north. A partly restricted environment probably dominated; in the Baharia Oasis area, a prodelta environment is inferred to have existed. At least two stages of tectonic uplift took place in some localities (e.g., the Baharia Oasis area) during the Cenomanian. At the end of Cenomanian time, the basin was broken up, and Turonian sediments are present mainly in two basins. Open-marine conditions prevailed in both basins where a maximum thickness of 800 m was deposited. The section contains abundant carbonate, which is extensive laterally and vertically. Conspicuous uplift took place in some areas during and at the end of the Turonian. During Senonian time, the Western Desert area was the site of another open-marine transgression. A semi-restricted environment probably existed in the south, where the maximum thickness was deposited. Lithologically, the Senonian shows normal facies changes; sandstone and claystone are present on the south and limestone on the north. Subaerial and submarine highs were present, particularly near the middle of the Western Desert area. The high Basement Complex massif that existed during the Early Cretaceous was reduced in size during the Cenomanian-Senonian period. After Senonian time, the massif was not exposed, except for some islands. The Cretaceous rocks are good petroleum reservoirs. Cenomanian and Lower Cretaceous strata possibly were favorable source rocks. Economic deposits of oolitic iron ore and phosphorite accumulated in semirestricted depositional environments near the Senonian shoreline.