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Isotopic and Radioactivity Fingerprinting of Groundwater in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Abstract

A pilot investigation using radioactivity together with chemical features was conducted to characterize groundwater sampled from wells drilled in fractured Paleogen-Neogen carbonate rocks along the foothill of about 1200 m absl high mountain and wells drilled in Quaternary clastic sediments from a nearby alluvial plain in the southeastern part of the UAE. These two water modes are relatively easily separated by their chloride and EC (salt content) contents and provide an ideal case for testing radioactivity fingerprints. The groundwater of the alluvial plain, which is expected to reflect a short distance precipitation recharge source, indicates a concentration of {sup 222}Rn and {sup 226}Ra 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than the groundwater of the carbonate rocks. The range of variability for gross alpha is similar, but the gross beta activity indicates only 1 order of magnitude difference between the two water types. The radioactively richer groundwater of the carbonate aquifers compared to the alluvium plane may reflect the signature of deep basinal fluids. These marked differences in radioactivity of the two water modes clearly suggests that radioactive fingerprinting can provide a potential method for the identification groundwater sources in the UAE. (author)
Authors:
Murad, A.; Hussein, S.; [1]  Aldahan, A.; [1]  Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala (Sweden)]; Hou, X. L.; [2]  Possnert, G. [3] 
  1. Department of Geology, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain (United Arab Emirates)
  2. Riso National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Technical University of Denmark, Roskilde (Denmark)
  3. Tandem Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala (Sweden)
Publication Date:
Jul 15, 2013
Product Type:
Conference
Report Number:
IAEA-CN-186/188
Resource Relation:
Conference: International Symposium on Isotopes in Hydrology, Marine Ecosystems and Climate Change Studies, Monaco (Monaco), 27 Mar - 1 Apr 2011; Other Information: 2 figs., 2 tabs., 4 refs.; Related Information: In: Isotopes in Hydrology, Marine Ecosystems and Climate Change Studies. Vol. I. Proceedings of an International Symposium| 547 p.
Subject:
58 GEOSCIENCES; AQUIFERS; CARBONATE ROCKS; CARBONATES; CHLORIDES; COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS; CONCENTRATION RATIO; DRILLS; GROUND WATER; GROUNDWATER RECHARGE; PRECIPITATION; RADIOACTIVITY; RADIUM 226; RADON 222; SEDIMENTS; UNITED ARAB EMIRATES; WELLS
OSTI ID:
22122100
Research Organizations:
International Atomic Energy Agency, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, Vienna (Austria)
Country of Origin:
IAEA
Language:
English
Contract Number:
Grant 2010/147
Other Identifying Numbers:
Other: ISSN 0074-1884; ISBN 978-92-0-135610-9; TRN: XA13R0857078211
Availability:
Also available on-line: http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1580_vol1_web.pdf; Enquiries should be addressed to IAEA, Marketing and Sales Unit, Publishing Section, E-mail: sales.publications@iaea.org; Web site: http://www.iaea.org/books
Submitting Site:
INIS
Size:
page(s) 463-471
Announcement Date:
Aug 29, 2013

Citation Formats

Murad, A., Hussein, S., Aldahan, A., Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala (Sweden)], Hou, X. L., and Possnert, G. Isotopic and Radioactivity Fingerprinting of Groundwater in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). IAEA: N. p., 2013. Web.
Murad, A., Hussein, S., Aldahan, A., Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala (Sweden)], Hou, X. L., & Possnert, G. Isotopic and Radioactivity Fingerprinting of Groundwater in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). IAEA.
Murad, A., Hussein, S., Aldahan, A., Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala (Sweden)], Hou, X. L., and Possnert, G. 2013. "Isotopic and Radioactivity Fingerprinting of Groundwater in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)." IAEA.
@misc{etde_22122100,
title = {Isotopic and Radioactivity Fingerprinting of Groundwater in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)}
author = {Murad, A., Hussein, S., Aldahan, A., Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala (Sweden)], Hou, X. L., and Possnert, G.}
abstractNote = {A pilot investigation using radioactivity together with chemical features was conducted to characterize groundwater sampled from wells drilled in fractured Paleogen-Neogen carbonate rocks along the foothill of about 1200 m absl high mountain and wells drilled in Quaternary clastic sediments from a nearby alluvial plain in the southeastern part of the UAE. These two water modes are relatively easily separated by their chloride and EC (salt content) contents and provide an ideal case for testing radioactivity fingerprints. The groundwater of the alluvial plain, which is expected to reflect a short distance precipitation recharge source, indicates a concentration of {sup 222}Rn and {sup 226}Ra 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than the groundwater of the carbonate rocks. The range of variability for gross alpha is similar, but the gross beta activity indicates only 1 order of magnitude difference between the two water types. The radioactively richer groundwater of the carbonate aquifers compared to the alluvium plane may reflect the signature of deep basinal fluids. These marked differences in radioactivity of the two water modes clearly suggests that radioactive fingerprinting can provide a potential method for the identification groundwater sources in the UAE. (author)}
place = {IAEA}
year = {2013}
month = {Jul}
}