Abstract
United Arab Emirates (UAE), where is mostly covered by sand desert, is located in southeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula. From the field survey in 1996 and 1997throughout UAE, it was found that the geomorphology had close relation to the groundwater quality. Groundwater with high Cl- concentration distributed widely in sabkha, dune, as well as downstream of wadi area.
The results of isotopic calculations and the distribution of groundwater/surface water quality indicated that the evaporation of rainwater (or flood water) was not main cause of increasing Cl- concentration in groundwater. In other hand, these water were not saturated with a halite. From the results, in eastern UAE, it is concluded that the Cl- in groundwater was derived from a stratum with halite, but which have already dissolved by newly recharged water. The groundwater in Liwa (western UAE) showed higher oxygen isotope concentration than that in eastern UAE. So, the groundwater in Liwa does not have same source to that of eastern UAE.
