Jasem M. Al-Awadhi

Dust fallout in Kuwait city: deposition and characterization.

Dust fallouts in Kuwait city was monitored on monthly basis during the period from March 2011 to February 2012 at 10 locations. The results of this study reveal that: (1) monthly dust deposition rates ranged from 0.002 to 0.32 kg/m(2) with average deposition rate of 0.053 kg/m(2) and annual average deposition rate of 0.59 kg/m(2), ranking the first out of 56 dust deposition rates observed throughout the world; (2) on average, about 55.9% of the settled dust have fine to very fine sand fraction sizes, while silt and clay comprise an average of 37.4 and 1.4% of the total sample, respectively; (3) the concentrations for Zn and Mo out of 15 other elements analyzed from the dust were up to 11 times higher than their soil background values in Kuwait, while Pb and Ni were about seven times higher; (4) Mo, Ni, Pb and Zn show maximum enrichment relative to the upper continental crustal component (Mn); (5) Sr, Zr and Zn show highest concretions among all collected samples; and (6) quartz and calcite were the dominant minerals in the dust samples. The distribution of the heavy metals in dust seems to be controlled mainly by the land uses and the volume of traffic emissions.

Land-Use Planning for Controlling Land Degradation in Kuwait

Several land degradation indicators have been recognized in Kuwait; these are soil loss by wind and/or water; soil crusting, sealing, and compaction; soil contamination by oil; soil salinization; deterioration of vegetation cover and its biodiversity; and hydrological degradation. Aeolian processes, as manifested by soil deflation, drifting sand, and migrating dunes, may be considered as one of the primary causes of soil degradation in Kuwait. The present status of land degradation as reflected by the severity of degradation of vegetation cover, soil erosion/deflation, and hydrological drought has been assessed based on visual comparison between data recorded in the early 1980s and recent field surveys (early 2010). It has been concluded that the northwestern and southern parts of Kuwait are severely degraded. Anthropogenic activities (off-road vehicle traffic, excessive grazing, camping, and quarrying) as well as military operations (Gulf Wars and present defense structures) are the main causes of land degradation in Kuwait. However, aeolian processes, nature of surface sediments (soil type), and climatic conditions play a significant role. It was also recognized that the sandy soils (Torripsamments) that cover most of the southern part of Kuwait are the most vulnerable to aeolian processes, particularly soil loss by deflation. Hence, mitigation measures for the maintenance of Kuwait desert ecosystem are recommended.

Heavy metal concentrations in roadside-deposited sediments in Kuwait city

In the present study, roadside-deposited sediment samples collected from Kuwait city district, in Kuwait, were analyzed for specific heavy metals (As, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn). Contamination assessment status of heavy metals in roadside sediments was made using mathematical models in terms of enrichment factor (EF), geoaccumulation index (Igeo), and contamination factor (CF). The sediments showed remarkably high levels of all the metals, except Ni, above background concentrations in the following order (As, Cu, Pb, Zn, Mn, and Cr). CF and Igeo revealed overall moderately uncontaminated and moderate contamination, respectively, but the EFs for all metals ranged between moderate and significant enrichment.

Surface runoff hazard map distribution in Kuwait

Purpose – An attempt is made to produce a susceptibility surface runoff hazard map for Kuwait by integrating four maps: paleodrainage; topography; vegetation cover (extracted from a Landsat image of 2001); and soil.Design/methodology/approach – Local expert knowledge, weighting methods like the Delphi method and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), and GIS techniques were used to evaluate the factors controlling surface runoff hazard in Kuwait.Findings – The susceptibility surface runoff hazard map produced indicates that a moderate class of surface runoff hazard in Kuwait averages 45.5 percent, followed by a low class (21 percent). The very low, high and very high classes constitute about 8, 18.5 and 15 percent, respectively.Practical implications – The surface hazard map obtained from this study may be presented to the authorities concerned to be used as basic data for designing runoff flood prevention and mitigation measures.Originality/value – The approach adopted in this study is new to Kuwait.