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Variation of Soil Properties of Unsaturated Zone with Depth and Time at an Agricultural Site in Kuwait

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Abstract

To assess the feasibility of recovering water from the unsaturated zone, the soil data from this zone at three sites in an agricultural research station in Kuwait and the meteorological data from the station at the nearby location were analysed to investigate the variation of soil properties with depth and any relationship that might exist between these and some of the meteorological parameters. Automatic sensors were set at several depths within the three boreholes installed at the sites, to record the soil water content, temperature, and electrical conductivity (EC) at one-hour intervals. The results of the grain size analysis of the drill cuttings from different depths of these boreholes were used to determine the lithology of the sediment sequence penetrated. The extracts from the drill cuttings were chemically analysed. Graphical and statistical methods were used for the analysis of these data. It was concluded that down to the depth investigated (25 m), the depth and meteorology did not have much influence on the quantity and quality of the soil water content. A continuous increase in the soil water content with time was, however, observed over the monitoring period that was surmised to be related to the infiltration of winter rain and the irrigation water that might lead to water mounding. It was further concluded that there would be sufficient quantity and quality of soil water in the unsaturated zone of the study area that could be profitably recovered.

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Acknowledgements

The Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) has partially funded this project (Grant No. PN18-15EV-02). Dr. S.V.V. Dhanuradha carried out the statistical analysis of the soil extract chemistry data. The help and support extended by the management of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research for the successful execution of the project and the publication of its results are also gratefully acknowledged.

Funding

Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) partially funded the study (Grant No. PN18-15EV-02).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bagu, India

    Amitabha Mukhopadhyay

  2. Water Research Centre, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box: 24885, 13109, Safat, Kuwait

    Adnan Akber, Harish Bhandary, Tariq Rashid, Habib Al-Qallaf & Dalal Sadeqi

Authors
  1. Amitabha Mukhopadhyay
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  2. Adnan Akber
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  3. Harish Bhandary
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  4. Tariq Rashid
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  5. Habib Al-Qallaf
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  6. Dalal Sadeqi
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Contributions

Mr. AM conceived the study plan while serving at Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, and as the consultant to the study team, made an overall analysis of the data, summarized the conclusions and prepared the draft manuscript. Mr. AA was the Project Leader and supervised the study team to ensure that the study achieved its objectives within its allotted time. He reviewed the draft manuscript and made revisions wherever necessary. Mr. HB oversaw the day-to-day operation of the study, both in the field and in the laboratory. He compiled the data from all sources and delivered them to the consultant as and when required. He was the main contributor for the Methodology section. Mr. TR carried out the grain size analysis of the drill cutting samples and the graphical representation of the related data. Mr. HA-Q helped in the installation of the soil sensors and in the periodic downloading of the data from them. Ms. DS was responsible for the rearrangement of the downloaded soil sensor data in an easily accessible format for statistical and graphical analyses.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Harish Bhandary.

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Conflict of interest

Amitabha Mukhopadhyay retired from the services of Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research in October 2020. He served as the Technical Consultant for the study over the period October 2021–May 2023.

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Supplementary file 1 (DOCX 148 kb)

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Mukhopadhyay, A., Akber, A., Bhandary, H. et al. Variation of Soil Properties of Unsaturated Zone with Depth and Time at an Agricultural Site in Kuwait. Arab J Sci Eng (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-023-08678-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-023-08678-9

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