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Description: Two areas of freshwater with low mineral content are found in Abu Dhabi Emirate:In the northeast, rainfall from the Hajjar Mountains recharges the aquifer and slowly flows towards the Arabian Gulf. The longer the water remains in the aquifer, the more time it has to dissolve minerals and interact with the rocks: In general, the water gets more saline as it flows towards the sea. Another area of low salinity is found north of Liwa, where recharge from rainfall is minimal and the resulting groundwater is older. Most of it entered the aquifer thousands of years ago, in a time with a more humid climate. Very slow groundwater flow, uniform sandy lithology, and a distinct vertical salinity gradient in the aquifer have kept the uppermost groundwater fresh for centuries. Along the coast in the west, as well as in the southeast, the groundwater table is very shallow. In these sabkha flats, the groundwater comes close to the surface and some of it evaporates. The dissolved minerals stay behind and lead to a further salinisation of the groundwater. Water in these regions can be as salty as 140,000 mg/L; that is more than three times as salty as the water of the Arabian Gulf.
Copyright Text: Created by Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi.
Description: Changes in the groundwater level of Abu Dhabi Emirate are closely linked to agricultural activity. Areas with a strongly declining water table coincide with the areas of highest groundwater abstraction for agricultural irrigation. The areas around Remah and Al Wagan illustrate this best. In the course of 25 years, the water level in groundwater monitoring wells has dropped by more than 50 m. The map shows the groundwater level change between 2005 and 2017. While yellow and red areas face a continued decline of groundwater levels, in blue areas a relative rise is observed. This relative rise is mainly attributed to a small reduction in agricultural activity and shut-down of well fields. Though between 2005 and 2017 the groundwater level slightly increased in these areas, an absolute drawdown prevails compared with the natural state. True rising of the water table takes place only in the vicinity of Al Ain, where losses from the water network and excessive landscape irrigation leads to rising water levels above the natural state.
Copyright Text: Created by Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi.
RuleID
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type: esriFieldTypeInteger, alias: RuleID
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Coded Values:
[1: Area with exceptional Water Level Rise (between 1.5 to 5m)]
,
[2: Area with high Water Level Rise (between 1.0 to 1.5m)]
,
[3: Area with medium Water Level Rise (between 0.5 to 1m)]
, ...7 more...
)
Description: This layer represents the Groundwater Salinity content for Abu Dhabi Emirate. This map was generated using the data obtained from the 1,100 representative wells monitored by EAD. It visualises the classes of groundwater salinity within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The map shows different classes of groundwater salinity represented by colour, with blue indicating the fresh water, red the most saline water and a range in between, in accordance with local and international groundwater salinity guidelines.