Inaccurate Application of Isotope Hydrology Techniques to NubianSandstones Aquifer System in Sinai and North-Western SaharaAquifers Systems

Abstract

A comprehensive understanding of the groundwater dynamics of a transboundary aquifer system is highly needed for any successful transboundary cooperation policy. The present paper addresses the necessity of identifying specific cooperation problems which evolve out due to the improper handling and treatment of isotopic data of these hydro geological attributes and prevalent use patterns.

The main reasons that render the use of the treated isotopic data illegal, incomparable and have thus lost some of its power as an effective tool is the ignorance of both time and space variations in treating isotopic data of two major aquifer systems in Africa namely; Nubian Sandstones Aquifer System (NSAS) as well as North-Western Sahara Aquifer System (NWSAS).

For any quantitative application of the stable isotopes labeling of waters a geo-hydrological tool, it is necessary to establish how well the isotopic composition of a groundwater source is defined in a supposedly homogenous geographic setting. Both time and space variations were not considered in all isotopic data of both aquifer systems; NSAS and NWSAS, where some of the sample were taken in 1968,1971,1972 other in 1982,1995 and 2000,2006,2010 and were all in some cases combined together in one diagram regardless the significant difference in time or lag-time i.e. not one month lag ,but years. This situation would therefore be misleading and represents one of the most obvious inaccuracies as well. On the contrary, one might also argue this inaccuracy to be negligible or at least of little importance, due to spatial and temporal reasons. In either case it seems to be sensible to at least address the respective mismatches.