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Geology Colloquium - Speaker: Magaly Koch

March 28, 2019 - 4:00pm to 5:00pm

Food and Water Security in Arid Regions: Remote Sensing of Water Availability in Egypt under Changing Conditions

The exploration and assessment of new untapped groundwater resources may enable the gradual expansion of urban and agricultural areas away from the Nile Valley into the desert. In the Western Desert of Egypt these additional water resources are mainly found in the Nubian aquifer systems where large quantities of groundwater accumulated during previous pluvial times. Present recharge of the Nubian aquifer is limited to areas near mountains or permanent water bodies (such as the River Nile and Lake Nasser), where occasional rainfall events and excess water from rivers and lakes may recharge the aquifer. Often this recharge occurs along open and well-connected fractures, which act as preferential water conduits. However, in desert areas (such as the Western Desert of Egypt) these fracture zones are often difficult to locate because they are covered by windblown sand deposits. Ground penetrating radar together with a new generation of satellite borne radar images are revolutionizing the way we map and identify these hidden structures. Some of the fracture systems revealed by radar technology seem to be particularly promising in terms of bringing groundwater from the Nubian aquifer and possibly excess water from the River Nile or Lake Nasser into the study area. Detecting and mapping these potential water conduits will ultimately lead to a better understanding of the geo-structural framework of the underlying aquifer, and its potential to support agriculture and other land development plans in a sustainable way. In addition, optical satellite sensors (such as Landsat) provide useful information for monitoring and assessing the rate of land use change along the Nile River and its tributaries.

Location and Address

011 Thaw Hall

University of Pittsburgh