RESEARCH ARTICLE
Assessing Terrain, Vegetation Potential, and Climate Data of Emirates Sites through Soil, Location, Rainfall, and Weather Station Data Analysis
Mohamed Elsadig Eltayeb Habora1, 2, Shaher Bano Mirza1, *, Fouad Lamghari Ridouane1, Muhammed Sirajul Huda Kalathingal1, Neal Spackman3
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2024Volume: 18
E-location ID: e18743315279696
Publisher ID: e18743315279696
DOI: 10.2174/0118743315279696231130104854
Article History:
Received Date: 14/09/2023Revision Received Date: 02/11/2023
Acceptance Date: 08/11/2023
Electronic publication date: 20/02/2024
Collection year: 2023
open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Background
The Fujairah region is characterized by extremely arid land covered with rocky mountains and rocky soil, with minimal rainfall, presenting significant water availability challenges. A large portion of the globe lacks comprehensive soil data, even as soil knowledge becomes increasingly crucial in addressing environmental and food security concerns.
Methods
The imminent threats posed by arid soils, urban expansion, and vegetation depletion in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are endangering the region's economy, well-being, community stability, and the preservation of the local ecosystem and wildlife. To address these challenges, this study focuses on three specific areas within the UAE: Al Taween, Al Taiba Farms (ATF), and Flag Park. These locations have undergone thorough examination to better understand their soil characteristics, topography, and reforestation potential. The international standard methods (United States Environmental Protection Agency, USEPA 9045 D, EPA 9253, USEPA 9050A) Kjeldahl Method, Titration, and ICP-OES, have been used for soil assessment.
Results
The field survey, soil characteristics analysis, average precipitation, temperature, and overall environmental conditions of all three sites in the Emirates indicate a poor agricultural potential at these locations. The assessment of temperature, wind speed, and rainfall has been done based on weather station data. It is assessed that with proper planning and strategic interventions, these lands can be effectively utilized for agricultural purposes.
Conclusion
This proposal outlines a gradual strategy that could be implemented throughout the UAE, serving as a foundational step for initiating vegetation and greening projects to mitigate the environmental challenges and resource constraints facing the region.
