Final Phd Thesis Ahmed Sayed Final
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EVALUATION OF THE LAND RESOURCES FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT - CASE STUDY: EL-HAMMAM CANAL AND ITS EXTENSION, NW COAST OF EGYPT Dissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades der Naturwissenschaften im Department Geowissenschaften der Universität Hamburg vorgelegt von Ahmed Sayed Ahmed Sayed aus El-Wadi El-Gedid, Ägypten Hamburg 2013 Als Dissertation angenommen vom Department für Geowissenschaften der Universität Hamburg Auf Grund der Gutachten von Prof. Dr. Eva Maria Pfeiffer Prof. Dr. Mohamed Metweally Dr. Alexander Gröngröft Hamburg, den 30.01.2013 Prof. Dr. Jürgen Oßenbrügge Leiter des Departments für Geowissenschaften Table of Contents CONTENTS I. LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................................................ IV II. LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................... VII III. LIST OF ABRIVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS .............................................................. IX CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER II: STATE OF THE ART – LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................... 6 2.1. LAND EVALUATION (D EFINITIONS AND OBJECTIVES ) ................................................................. 6 2.2. THE METHODOLOGY OF LAND EVALUATION ................................................................................ 7 2.2.1. Categoric systems (USDA land capability system) ........................................................... 8 2.2.2. Parametric system ........................................................................................................... 10 2.2.3. Tools for land evaluation systems ................................................................................... 16 2.3. OVERVIEW OF THE APPLICATION EVALUATION SYSTEMS .......................................................... 20 2.4. SOIL ASSESSMENT IN EGYPT FOR RECLAMATION ....................................................................... 24 CHAPTER III: DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA ................................................... 29 3.1. LOCATION ................................................................................................................................. 29 3.2. CLIMATE ................................................................................................................................... 29 3.3. GEOLOGY .................................................................................................................................. 33 3.3.1. Quaternary ...................................................................................................................... 33 3.3.2. Neogne ............................................................................................................................ 36 3.3.3. Pre-Neogene Rocks ......................................................................................................... 36 3.4. TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOMORPHOLOGIC SETTINGS ..................................................................... 38 3.4.1. The Northern Coastal plain ............................................................................................ 39 3.4.2. The piedmont plain ......................................................................................................... 45 3.4.3. The structural plateau ..................................................................................................... 45 3.4.4. Hydrographic basins. ...................................................................................................... 45 3.5. HYDROLOGICAL CONDITIONS .................................................................................................... 45 3.5.1. Groundwater: .................................................................................................................. 46 3.5.2. Precipitation ................................................................................................................... 48 3.5.3. Surface water of River Nile ............................................................................................. 49 3.5.4. Chemical composition of groundwater and surface water ............................................. 50 3.6. NATURAL VEGETATIONAND AND LAND USE ............................................................................. 51 CHAPTER IV: MATERIALS AND METHODS .................................................................. 55 4.1. THE FIELD WORK ...................................................................................................................... 55 4.2. LABORATORY ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................... 56 4.3. SOIL CLASSIFICATION AND EVALUATION SYSTEMS .................................................................... 58 4.3.1. Current (actual) land capability and suitability system .................................................. 59 4.4.2. Potential land capability and suitability for irrigation ................................................... 64 I Table of Contents CHAPTER V: SOIL PROPERTIES ....................................................................................... 68 5.1. OVERVIEW OF THE STUDIED SOIL PROPERTIES ........................................................................... 68 5.1.1. Soil Depth ....................................................................................................................... 69 5.1.2. Soil colour ....................................................................................................................... 69 5.1.3. Soil Texture ..................................................................................................................... 70 5.1.4. Soil structure ................................................................................................................... 71 5.1.5. Soil reaction .................................................................................................................... 72 5.1.6. Soil salinity ..................................................................................................................... 72 5.1.7. Calcium carbonate content ............................................................................................. 73 5.1.8. Organic Carbon .............................................................................................................. 75 5.1.9. Exchange characteristics ................................................................................................ 76 5.1.9.1. Cation exchange capacity (CEC) .................................................................................... 76 5.1.9.2. Exchangeable cations ..................................................................................................... 76 5.1.9.3. Exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP): ....................................................................... 76 5.1.10. Vertical distribution of soil properties ............................................................................ 77 5.1.11. Elemental composition .................................................................................................... 79 5.2. SOIL MAPPING UNIT ................................................................................................................... 84 5.2.1. El -Hammam Canal ........................................................................................................ 86 5.2.1.1. Deep coarse to moderately coarse-textured soils ........................................................... 86 5.2.1.2. Deep coarse-textured soils .............................................................................................. 87 5.2.1.3. Moderately deep coarse-textured soils ........................................................................... 88 5.2.2. El-Hammam Canal Extension ......................................................................................... 89 5.2.2.1. Deep coarse-textured soils .............................................................................................. 89 5.2.2.2. Deep coarse-textured soils with very gravelly subsoil .................................................... 89 5.2.2.3. Deep coarse-textured soils with gravelly subsoil ............................................................ 90 5.2.2.4. Moderately deep coarse-textured soils ........................................................................... 90 5.2.2.5. Shallow coarse-textured soils. ........................................................................................ 91 5.2.2.6. Very shallow coarse-textured soils ................................................................................. 91 5.3. CLASSIFICATION OF THE SOILS .................................................................................................. 92 5.3.1. US American system (key to soil taxonomy 2010) .......................................................... 92 5.3.2. According to FAO ,s World reference base (WRB) for soil resources (FAO, 2006) ........ 93 5.4. DESCRIPTION OF SELECTED REFERENCE PROFILES ..................................................................... 94 5.4.1. Reference profile 43 ........................................................................................................ 95 5.4.2. Reference profile 5 .........................................................................................................