Abstract
Eolian salts from the evaporite-covered Makgadikgadi Depression in Botswana were observed in the soil as far as 150 km downwind from the depression. Over three million metric tons of chloride, sodium, and bicarbonate are transported each year from the basin to the adjacent land. Infiltering soil water mobilizes and transports these soluble salts to the ground water, where they degrade the water quality. A relation between the size of the evaporative floor area and the length of the downwind salt “footprint” on the soil was established. This permits use of readily available topographic maps to estimate the area and length of potential degradation of ground water without extensive field sampling. Significant mass of naturally-occurring radioactive 226-radium is present in the eolian-transported salts that may have deleterious health consequences for individuals residing in the downwind area.
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Wood, W.W., Eckardt, F.D., Kraemer, T.F., Eng, K. (2010). Quantitative Eolian Transport of Evaporite Salts from the Makgadikgadi Depression (Ntwetwe and Sua Pans) in Northeastern Botswana: Implications for Regional Ground-Water Quality. In: Öztürk, M., Böer, B., Barth, HJ., Clüsener-Godt, M., Khan, M., Breckle, SW. (eds) Sabkha Ecosystems. Tasks for Vegetation Science, vol 46. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9673-9_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9673-9_4
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