US-Egypt Cooperative Research: Study of Nutrient Fluxes via Submarine Groundwater Discharge into the Coastal Zone Around Alexandria, Egypt

0809040Burnett 该项目支持塔拉哈西佛罗里达州立大学的 William Burnett 博士和埃及亚历山大沿海研究所的 Ayman El-Gamal 博士的合作研究。 他们计划进行一项研究“亚历山大周围沿海地区海底地下水排放营养通量研究”。技术优点：海底地下水排放（SGD）代表了营养物和其他溶解成分从陆地到沿海海洋的重要但基本上未量化的途径。沿海海洋学家和水文学家已经表明，只要具有正水头的含水层与地表水体在水力上相连，就会发生淡水地下水缓慢而持续地穿过沉积物的渗透。现在人们认识到，大量海水也通过沿海含水层系统进行再循环。淡水和咸水的输入都向沿海水域提供营养物和其他溶解固体。该项目具有三个不同的目标：(1) 研究 SGD 在向埃及亚历山大周边沿海地区输送养分方面的作用； (2) 使用天然放射性同位素估算地下水通量； (3) 促进有关 SGD、测量技术及其对埃及沿海管理的潜在影响的知识传播。选定的地点位于亚历山大附近的West El-Nobareya Drain出口附近（亚历山大市中心以西约21公里）。在亚历山大附近的浅层发现了地下​​水。此外，由于受污染的地表水渗入含水层，地下水质量正在恶化。 PI 将使用自动氡气监测仪连续测量不同时间段的 SGD 流量。他们计划为该地点制定详细的养分预算。该区域营养物质的潜在来源包括地表水流入、大气沉积、沉积物水界面扩散以及目前未知的 SGD。这可能是北非沿海水域的第一个地下水排放研究。更广泛的影响：通过发展中国家的能力建设以及研究生有意义地参与实地研究和其他方面的研究，人力资源开发将成为该项目的一个重要方面。佛罗里达州立大学的研究生将有机会继续攻读博士学位。本项目期间的研究。该项目还涉及重要的沿海地区管理问题，因为所研究的城市沿海系统遭受了地下水过度消耗、与过度抽水相关的沉降以及化肥、污水和其他污染源污染的增加。来自受污染地下水的养分输入与近岸水域的富营养化和近海有害藻华的增加有关。 该项目得到美国-埃及联合基金计划的支持。

0809040BurnettThis project supports collaborative research by Dr. William Burnett, Florida State University, Tallahassee and Dr. Ayman El-Gamal, Coastal Research Institute, Alexandria, Egypt. They plan a study on ?Study of Nutrient Fluxes Submarine Groundwater Discharge into the Coastal Zone Around Alexandria? Technical Merit: Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) represents an important, yet largely unquantified pathway for nutrients and other dissolved constituents from land to the coastal ocean. Coastal oceanographers and hydrologists have shown that slow yet persistent seepage of fresh groundwater through sediments occurs wherever an aquifer with a positive head is hydraulically connected to a surface water body. It is now recognized that a considerable amount of seawater is also recirculated through coastal aquifer systems. Both fresh and saline water inputs contribute nutrients and other dissolved solids to coastal waters. This project has three distinct objectives: (1) investigate the role of SGD in the delivery of nutrients to the coastal zone around Alexandria, Egypt; (2) estimate groundwater fluxes using natural radioisotopes; and (3) contribute to the dissemination of knowledge concerning SGD, measurement techniques, and its potential coastal management implications in Egypt. The selected site is located near Alexandria around the outlet of West El-Nobareya Drain (about 21 km west of the center of Alexandria). Groundwater is found at shallow depths in the vicinity of Alexandria. In addition, the groundwater quality is deteriorating as a consequence of the infiltration of contaminated surface water into the aquifers. The PIs will use automated radon monitors for continuous measurements of SGD flow over various time periods. They plan to construct a detailed nutrient budget for the site. Potential sources of nutrients to this area include surface water inflow, atmospheric deposition, diffusion across the sediment water interface, and SGD, that is currently unknown. This would likely be the first groundwater discharge study in North African coastal waters. Broader impacts: Human resource development will be an important aspect of this project via capacity building in a developing country and meaningful graduate student participation in the field studies and other aspects of the research. A graduate student at Florida State University will have the opportunity to add to his Ph.D. research during this project. The project also involves important coastal zone management issues as the urban coastal system being studied has suffered from over consumption of groundwater, subsidence relating to this over pumping, and increased contamination from fertilizer, sewage, and other pollution sources. Nutrient inputs from contaminated groundwaters have been implicated in the eutrophication of near-shore waters and the increasing occurrence of harmful algal blooms offshore. This project is being supported under the US-Egypt Joint Fund Program.