U.S.-Egypt Cooperative Research: Influence of Structures on Drainage Patterns in the Tushka Region, Southwest Egypt

美国-埃及合作研究：埃及西南部图什卡地区结构对排水模式的影响

• 批准号: 0513379
• 负责人: Cordula Robinson
• 金额: $ 2.85万
• 依托单位: Trustees of Boston University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-09-01 至 2008-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0513379&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: U.S.; Egypt; Cooperative; Research; Influence

0513379RobinsonDescription: This project supports a collaborative research between Dr. Cordula Robinson, Center for Remote Sensing, Boston University, Boston and Dr. Hesham El-Kaliouby, National Research Center (NRC), Cairo, Egypt. In this research the PIs will use a new approach utilizing space-borne radar and thermal imagery, GIS and geophysical techniques to: analyze the influence of structures on drainage; identify those structures recharged by groundwater, and in which groundwater resides or is transmitted; and determine locations with enhanced groundwater accumulation, in the area between 22 to 23 degree N and 30.5 to 31.5 degree E, south of the Tushka canal in southwest Egypt. The study area is underlain by the Nubian aquifer system that is considered to be unconfined whereby groundwater resides in sandstone rocks that unconformably overlie basement rocks and are covered by Quaternary deposits. The aquifer, however, is not homogeneous, but has a variable nature in that the groundwater present depends on: 1) recharge in the geologic past; and 2) fracturing, which introduced secondary porosity into the rocks and increased their storage capacity. To characterize this variability, the spatial organization of near-surface fluvial features and associated structural features will be derived using space-borne radar and thermal images and Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) in a Geographical Information System (GIS) database. These vector layers will be combined with a DEM to obtain further hydro-morphological parameters and hydrological properties for the defined drainage basins, and to identify those structures requiring field investigation. Geophysical profiling will be used to this end to provide information about the subsurface distribution and relative water content of the faults, as well as aquifer depth. The use of a GIS will allow the necessary scale transformations to be easily resolved. The collaborative project resulted from an NSF-supported workshop held in Cairo, in December 2003, on "Assessing and Managing Surface and Groundwater in Egypt".The Intellectual Merit: The RS and GIS process-flow routine established to meet the objectives of this proposal, and the availability of advanced geophysical profiling techniques, will allow the theoretical deductions made to be tested empirically. The creation of the database and the correlation of the datasets to be used ensure a new and improved understanding of the drainage systems, structural controls, and groundwater distributions in the study area. The approach is innovative and access to all the datasets required makes the goals of the project achievable.The Broader Activities: Results will establish how structures influence drainage patterns and groundwater distributions in the unconfined Nubian aquifer for the study area; thus, it can be determined if the method devised in this pilot study can be applied to other areas in the Great Sahara. Understanding the structural setting and the potential distribution of faults that received most recharge is also significant in building development that is anticipated for this area. Faults with increased pore fluid pressure have increased seismic vulnerability; thus, must be flagged in building development plans. Results will be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and the new database will be made available over the Internet at BU. This project is being supported under the US-Egypt Joint Fund Program, which provides grants to scientists and engineers in both countries to carry out these cooperative activities.

描述：该项目支持波士顿大学遥感中心的Cordula Robinson博士和埃及开罗国家研究中心(NRC)的Hesham El-Kaliouby博士之间的合作研究。在这项研究中，PIS将使用一种新的方法，利用星载雷达和热成像、地理信息系统和地球物理技术来分析构造对排水的影响；识别那些由地下水补给的构造，以及地下水驻留或输送的构造；并在埃及西南部图什卡运河以南的北纬22度至23度和东经30.5度至31.5度之间的地区确定地下水蓄积增强的位置。研究区被努比亚含水层系统覆盖，该含水层系统被认为是无承压的，地下水存在于砂岩中，不整合地覆盖在基岩之上，并被第四纪沉积物覆盖。然而，含水层并不是均匀的，而是具有可变的性质，因为地下水的存在取决于：1)地质过去的补给；2)破裂，将次生孔隙度引入岩石并增加其存储能力。为了表征这种可变性，将利用星载雷达和热成像以及地理信息系统数据库中的数字高程模型，得出近地表河流特征和相关结构特征的空间组织。这些矢量层将与数字高程模型相结合，以获得所定义的流域的进一步的水文地貌参数和水文特性，并识别需要现场调查的结构。为此，将使用地球物理剖面法，以提供有关断层的地下分布和相对含水率以及含水层深度的信息。使用地理信息系统可以很容易地解决必要的比例尺转换。该合作项目是2003年12月在开罗举办的关于“评估和管理埃及的地表水和地下水”的国家科学基金会资助的讲习班的成果。数据库的建立和将要使用的数据集的关联确保了对研究区域的排水系统、结构控制和地下水分布的新的和更好的了解。这一方法是创新的，获得所需的所有数据集使项目的目标得以实现。更广泛的活动：结果将确定结构如何影响研究区无承压努比亚含水层的排水模式和地下水分布；因此，可以确定在这项试点研究中设计的方法是否可以应用于大撒哈拉其他地区。了解受补给最多的断层的结构背景和潜在分布，对该地区预期的建筑开发也具有重要意义。孔隙流体压力增加的断层增加了地震易损性；因此，必须在建筑开发计划中进行标记。结果将发表在同行评议的科学期刊上，新的数据库将在BU的互联网上提供。该项目得到了美国-埃及联合基金计划的支持，该计划为两国的科学家和工程师提供资助，以开展这些合作活动。