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An Interpretation of Anthropogenic Influences on the Modern Marine Geology of Sulaibikhat Bay
Abstract
This study focuses on the recent history of environmental change within Sulaibikhat Bay, a 43 km², arid, urbanized embayment located along the southern shore of Kuwait Bay. Using the sedimentary record of down core changes in environmental proxies, including grain size distributions, total mercury and select elemental distributions from X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), and short-lived radioisotope geochronology. In addition, historical imagery and maps were used to document potential environmental regime changes within both the bay and the nearshore environments. Sulaibikhat Bay is located on the western side of the Kuwait City metropolis, with a mix of industrial/port facilities and urban development along its eastern and southern shoreline, with the Doha Power and Desalinization plant occupying its western shoreline. Although there are no tributaries flowing into Sulaibikhat Bay, there are a series of municipal and industrial wastewater discharge pipes flowing into the bay, the most notable of which discharges from the Doha Plant, which has scoured a 0.5 km² pit, with an estimated volume of 1.7 km³. The sediment cores reveal widespread cases of anthropogenic alteration throughout Sulaibikhat Bay primarily due to the construction of large-scale infrastructure and land reclamation including elevated sedimentation due to erosion around new structures. Dense concentrations of outfalls to the bay’s south rework tidal flat sediments as they discharge. Facilities like the Doha Plant and its outfall create erosion and sediment dispersal which is orders of magnitude greater than the more typical, smaller outfalls. T Hg background levels within the subtidal portions of Sulaibikhat Bay range from non-detectable to 10 ng g⁻¹, averaging 6 ng g⁻¹, whereas the background range for the tidal flats was found to range between 15 and 30 ng g⁻¹. Given the results of this study, future analysis should supplement sub-bottom sonar, alternate isotope geochronology compatible with local lithology, and deeper cores to establish a better baseline of a past with a lesser human influence.
Citation
Wellbrock, Nicholas Brett (2023). An Interpretation of Anthropogenic Influences on the Modern Marine Geology of Sulaibikhat Bay. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /199060.