Management and protection of groundwater resources in semi-arid zones: application of hydrochemical methodologies to Essaouira Synclinal Basin, Morocco

<p>Groundwater abstraction has increased significantly around the world in the last three decades, placing a strain on the sustainability of domestic and agricultural use plus negatively impacting the role groundwater plays in water storage in the absence of surface water. While the proportionality of surface water use has decreased as a result, groundwater has expanded its share of freshwater use. Groundwater management challenges are particularly acute in semi-arid zones due to low replenishment rates. Multiple regulatory innovations are consequently emerging in different countries to regulate groundwater usage but comparative analyses of their effectiveness are limited. In addressing this gap, our paper therefore compares the regulatory performance of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in Turkey with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in California, two semi-arid zones, as a basis for policy learning. Both legislative measures impose river basin planning to protect groundwater resources and should provide them with strong protection. In analysing the effectiveness of these measures, this paper firstly identifies the key regulatory requirements of each legislative framework regarding groundwater protection. Secondly, it compares the institutional arrangements for implementing them, using specific river basin case studies. Thirdly, it quantifies groundwater use trends in river basins to assess the effectiveness of the WFD and SGMA. Finally, it comparatively discusses outcomes to determine the factors influencing implementation effectiveness, in order to inform future regulatory design.</p>

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Effect of Sinkholes on Groundwater Resources in Arid and Semi-Arid Karst Area in Abarkooh, Iran

Environments ◽

10.3390/environments7040026 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 26

Author(s):

Božo Soldo ◽

Siamak Mahmoudi Sivand ◽

Ardalan Afrasiabian ◽

Bojan Đurin

Keyword(s):

Groundwater Quality ◽

Future Development ◽

Anthropogenic Impacts ◽

Meteorological Data ◽

Groundwater Resources ◽

Karst Area ◽

Arid Zones ◽

Arid Areas ◽

Original Procedure ◽

Semi Arid

Despite protection measurements and their natural position, groundwater resources are very vulnerable due to natural and anthropogenic impacts. This is especially emphasized in karst arid and semi-arid zones, due to increased requirements for water. Paper deals with the impacts of the sinkholes on groundwater quality on Abarkooh city in Iran. There are 28 sinkholes located in Abarkooh plain. The aims of the paper are to specify the characteristics and causes of sinkholes occurrence, as well as to specify the vulnerable areas and future development of sinkholes and their effect on the groundwater resources. Next step is defining of the original procedure for protection of groundwater resources in characteristic areas, as karst arid and semi-arid areas are. By taking into the account geological, hydrogeological and meteorological data, and finally through hydrogeochemical and geophysical analysis, final conclusions and recommendations for the protection of the groundwater resources are obtained. This has significant importance for water supply of the Abarkooh city in Iran. It should be noted that the mentioned methodology for the protection of groundwater resources could be applied in other arid and semi-arid areas.

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Obstacles to the development of arid and semi-arid zones

Science and Public Policy ◽

10.1093/spp/3.3.224 ◽

1976 ◽

Keyword(s):

Arid Zones ◽

Semi Arid

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The demography of desert Australia

The Rangeland Journal ◽

10.1071/rj07043 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 29 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Dominic Brown ◽

John Taylor ◽

Martin Bell

Keyword(s):

Economic Policy ◽

Arid Zone ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Population Projections ◽

Research Centre ◽

Arid Zones ◽

Demographic Information ◽

The Impact ◽

First Time ◽

Semi Arid

In recent years, with the formation of organisations such as the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre, social science interest in the Australian desert has re-surfaced with a research emphasis that is focused on creating sustainable futures for the region. One consequence of this is a demand for detailed demographic information to allow an assessment of different quanta of need in social and economic policy, and for assessment of the impact of these in environmental policy. However, demographic analysis on human populations in the desert to date has attracted very little research attention. In this paper we begin to address this lack of analysis by focusing on the populations, both aboriginal and non-aboriginal, of the arid and semi-arid zones of Australia. We extend earlier analysis by including for the first time demographic information on the semi-arid as well as the arid zone to establish the spatial pattern of population growth within the whole desert area drawing attention to the resulting settlement structure as an outcome of prevailing social, cultural and economic conditions. By examining population structure and demographic components of population change we also present for the first time population projections for the semi-arid zone and, therefore, in combination with the arid zone, for the entire Australian desert. All of this provides a basis for considering social and economic policy implications and the nature of underlying processes that drive change in this region.

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Groundwater surveys in Developing Regions

Air Soil and Water Research ◽

10.4137/aswr.s6053 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

pp. ASWR.S6053

Author(s):

Jeff Lewis ◽

Birgitta Liljedahl

Keyword(s):

Arid Regions ◽

Groundwater Resources ◽

Large Area ◽

Developing Regions ◽

Well Drilling ◽

Regional Flow ◽

Groundwater Aquifer ◽

Interpretation Patterns ◽

Hydrogeological Information ◽

Semi Arid

This paper discusses the interpretation of surface features that can assist in the evaluation of groundwater resources in semi-arid and arid developing regions. The lack of infrastructure in these areas places serious constraints on borehole drilling, which in turn limits the data which can be obtained directly from the subsurface. Under these conditions, surface indicators may be used to infer useful information about the subsurface, which includes shallow aquifers. This article summarizes those surface indicators which provide useful data in arid and semi-arid regions and provides a review of the literature to assist in their interpretation. Patterns of surface indicators covering a large area may be more effective and less costly for interpreting basic regional hydrogeological conditions than detailed data obtained from a limited number of boreholes. The hydrogeological information which can be obtained by using the methods discussed in this article include the regional flow patterns, an estimate of the depth to groundwater, aquifer geology and estimates of the regional recharge and discharge zones. This data may in turn provide support for subsequent well drilling campaigns, limited environmental assessments, and potable water assessments for humanitarian base camps in developing regions.

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The use of groundwater crustacean communities as indicators for aquifers quality in the semi-arid region of north-central Chile

ARPHA Conference Abstracts ◽

10.3897/aca.1.e30126 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

Author(s):

Sanda Iepure ◽

Nicolas Gouin ◽

Angeline Bertin ◽

Ana Camacho ◽

Antonio González-Ramón ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Negative Impact ◽

Groundwater Resources ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Nutrient Loads ◽

Groundwater Temperature ◽

Groundwater Levels ◽

Water Abstraction ◽

Over Exploitation ◽

The Impact ◽

Semi Arid

Chile has large extensions of arid and semi-arid regions throughout the whole country, where the intensive demands and use of water resources, especially groundwater for irrigations and mining activities, increased dramatically over the last decades. The aquifer depletions due to water abstraction for irrigation and nutrient loads, exert major alterations of water quality, groundwater recharge and the natural renewal rate. All these factors diminish the aquifer value for the users and contribute to the degradation of groundwater as environment and habitat for fauna. This intensive use of groundwater resources in Chile brought to significant social and economic benefits, but their inadequate management resulted in negative environmental, legal and socioeconomic consequences. In this study, we aimed at providing a first assessment of environmental alterations of groundwater ecosystems from agricultural watersheds in northern Chile by specifically evaluating the effects of nitrogen and pesticide loads on groundwater communities and identifing the ecosystem service alterations due to agricultural activities. The study has been performed in a glacial aquifer from Coquimbo region; 250 km north of Santiago de Chile, the floodplain of which is dominated by agriculture (fruits tress, vineyards). Due to low regional precipitations (100-240 mm/year) the aquifer is primarily recharged by snowmelt from the Andean chain and surface runoff. The relative groundwater levels, groundwater temperature, chemical analysis of nitrogen and total phosphorus and pesticide concentrations were examined, along with the evaluation of crustacean biodiversity and spatial distribution pattern. Stygofauna taxonomic richness and the presence of stygobites have been related more to groundwater level stability than to chemical water parameters indicating that over-exploitation has a negative impact on habitat suitability for groundwater invertebrates. Groundwater biota assessment is essential in understanding the impact produced by agriculture activities on groundwater as a resource and as ecosystem, a nexus that becomes more and more widely recognized. The rationale and the preliminary results of this study are summarized in the Suppl. material 1.

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Is Annual Recharge Coefficient a Valid Concept in Arid and Semi-Arid Region?

10.5194/hess-2017-160 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yiben Cheng ◽

Hongbin Zhan ◽

Wenbin Yang ◽

Hongzhong Dang ◽

Wei Li

Keyword(s):

Arid Regions ◽

Groundwater Resources ◽

Heavy Precipitation ◽

Annual Precipitation ◽

Precipitation Event ◽

Precipitation Pattern ◽

Deep Soil ◽

Bare Sand ◽

Sand Land ◽

Semi Arid

Abstract. Deep soil recharge (DSR) (at depth more than 200 cm) is an important part of water circulation in arid and semi-arid regions. Quantitative monitoring of DSR is of great importance to assess water resources and study water balance in arid and semi-arid regions. Simple estimates of recharge based on fixed fractions of annual precipitation are misleading because they do not reflect the plant and soil factors controlling recharge. This study used a typical bare land on the Eastern margin of Mu Us Sandy Land of China an example to illustrate a new lysimeter method of measuring DSR underneath bare sand land in arid and semi-arid regions. Positioning monitoring was done on precipitation and DSR measurement underneath mobile sand dunes from 2013 to 2015 in the study area. Results showed that use of a constant recharge coefficient for estimating DSR in bare sand land in arid and semi-arid regions is questionable and could lead to considerable errors. It appeared that DSR in those regions was influenced by precipitation pattern, and was closely correlated with spontaneous heavy precipitation (defined for an event with more than 10 mm precipitation) other than the average precipitation strength. This study showed that as much as 42 % of precipitation in a single heavy precipitation event can be transformed into DSR. During the observation period, the maximum annual DSR could make up to 24.33 % of the annual precipitation. This study provided a reliable method of estimating DSR in sandy area of arid and semi-arid regions, which is valuable for managing groundwater resources and ecological restoration in those regions.

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Advances in Agronomic Management for Ensuring Fodder Security in Semi Arid Zones of India- A Review

International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ◽

10.20546/ijcmas.2018.702.230 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 1912-1921

Author(s):

Hanamant M. Halli ◽

S.S. Rathore ◽

N. Manjunatha ◽

Vinod Kumar Wasnik

Keyword(s):

Arid Zones ◽

Agronomic Management ◽

Semi Arid

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Biochemical profile and bioactive potential of wild folk medicinal plants of Zygophyllaceae from Balochistan, Pakistan

10.1101/2020.03.30.016212 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Alia Ahmed ◽

Amjad Hameed ◽

Shazia Saeed

Keyword(s):

Medicinal Plants ◽

Total Phenolic ◽

Arid Zones ◽

Standard Drug ◽

Aerial Parts ◽

Fruit Samples ◽

Pharmaceutical Industries ◽

Inhibitory Potential ◽

Bioactive Potential ◽

Semi Arid

AbstractRecent focus is on analysis of biological activities of extracts from plant species. Zygophyllaceae is exceedingly important angiosperm family with many taxa being used in folk medicines widely dispersed in arid and semi-arid zones of Balochistan, Pakistan. Only a small proportion of them have been scientifically analyzed and many species are nearly facing extinction. Therefore present investigation explores the biochemical and bioactive potential of fourteen folk medicinal plants usually used for treatments of different ailments. Fresh aerial parts of nine taxa and two fruit samples were collected from plants growing in arid and semi-arid zones of Balochistan and analyzed for enzymatic, non-enzymatic and other biochemical activities. Higher phytochemical activities were detected in the aerial parts. Superoxide dismutase was detected maximum in Fagonia indica, (184.7±5.17 units/g), ascorbate peroxidase in Tribulus longipetalus subsp. longipetalus (947.5±12.5 Units/g), catalase and peroxidase was higher in Peganum harmala (555.0±5.0 and 2597.8±0.4 units/g respectively). Maximum esterase and alpha amylase activity was found in Zygophyllum fabago (14.3±0.44 and 140±18.8 mg/g respectively). Flavonoid content was high in T. longipetalus subsp. longipetalus (666.1±49 μg/ml). The highest total phenolic content and tannin was revealed in F. olivieri (72125±425 and 37050±1900 μM/g. respectively). Highest value of ascorbic acid was depicted in F. bruguieri var. rechingeri (448±1.5 μg/g). Total soluble Proteins and reducing sugars were detected higher in P. harmala (372.3±54 and 5.9±0.1 mg/g respectively). Maximum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was depicted in Z. simplex (16.9±0.01 μM/g). Pigment analysis exhibited the high value of lycopene and total carotenoids in T. terrestris (7.44±0.2 and 35.5±0.0 mg/g respectively). Chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll content was found maximum in T. longipetalus subsp. pterophorus (549.1±9.9, 154.3±10 and 703.4±20.2 ug/g respectively). All taxa exhibited anti-inflammatory activity as well as anti-diabetic inhibitory potential. Seed extracts of Zygophyllum eurypterum (96%) exhibited highest inhibitory potential, along with twelve other taxa of Zygophyllaceae indicated (96-76%) activity when compared with the standard drug diclofenac sodium (79%). Seeds of T. longipetalus subsp. longipetalus (85%) exhibited the highest anti-diabetic activity; other eleven taxa also exhibited inhibitory activity of α-amylase ranging from (85-69%) compared with Metformin (67%) standard drug. Phytochemical screening revealed that selected taxa proved to be the potential source of natural antioxidants and could further be explored for in-vivo studies and utilized in pharmaceutical industries as potent therapeutic agents validating their ethno-pharmacological uses.

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The Effect of Formation Processes on The Frequency of Palaeolithic Cave Sites in Semi-Arid Zones: Insights From Kazakhstan

10.31223/x5m61f ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Aristeidis Varis ◽

Christopher Miller ◽

Patrick Cuthbertson ◽

Abay Namen ◽

Zhaken Taimagambetov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Central Asia ◽

Arid Zones ◽

Arid Environments ◽

Formation Processes ◽

Cave Deposits ◽

Central Asian ◽

Cave Sediments ◽

Analytical Potential ◽

Sediment Cover ◽

Semi Arid

Central Asian caves with Palaeolithic deposits are few but they provide a rich record of human fossils and cultural assemblages that has been used to model Late Pleistocene hominin dispersals. However, previous research has not yet systematically evaluated the formation processes that influence the frequency of Palaeolithic cave sites in the region. To address this deficiency, we combined field survey and micromorphological analyses in the piedmont zone of south Kazakhstan. Here we present our preliminary results focusing on selected sites of the Qaratau mountains. Sediment cover varies among the surveyed caves and loess-like sediments dominate the cave sequences. The preservation of cave deposits is influenced by reworking of cave sediments within the caves but also by the broader erosional processes that shape semi-arid landscapes. Ultimately, deposits of potentially Pleistocene age are scarce. Our study provides new data in the geoarchaeologically neglected region of Central Asia and demonstrates that micromorphology has great analytical potential even within the limitations of rigorous survey projects. We outline some of the processes that influence the formation and preservation of cave deposits inKazakhstan, as well as broader implications for the distribution of Palaeolithic cave sites in Central Asia and other semi-arid environments.

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