Underlying the vast deserts of the Rub Al Khali (RAK), meaning the ‘Empty Quarter’ is one of the largest aquifer systems of the arid world, the Rub Al Khali Aquifer System (RAKAS) of the Arabian Peninsula. This aquifer extends for some 650,000 square kilometers in the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula in southern Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, and United Arab Emirates. The RAK remains largely uninhabited and undeveloped because of its harsh climatic conditions and largely inaccessible terrain. These problems together with a lack of understanding of the area’s groundwater potential have hindered plans for its development. We are applying an integrated approach that entails the use of geochemical, isotopic, and geophysical investigations, hydrologic modeling, and GIS applications together with observations extracted from remote sensing data for a better understanding of the origin and evolution of the Rub Al Khali Aquifer System and for the assessment of the groundwater potential of this vital resource.
Collaborators: King Saudi University, (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia), Saudi Geological SurveySponsor: King Saud University, Saudi Geological Survey
Sponsor: King Saud University, Saudi Geological Survey