Meteorology of the Red Planet by dust devils

Many dust devils were detected by high resolution camera images on the surface of mars, that is remarkably similar in arid regions on Earth. The dust devils result from sunshine warming the ground, prompting convective rising of air. The hot air rises and begins to spin faster and faster as it compresses. The dust devils may serve a major role in the meteorology of the Red Planet. However, the derive scaling relations between dust devil radius, pressure profiles, wind speeds, and heights have remained unclear. In this work, we test a dust devil theoretical model that identify a relationship between these parameters. To do this, we used data which provides diameters and heights at different seasons. We extended the theoretical model by proposing an equation that estimate the eyewall velocity from a dust devil\u27s height

Application of hyperspectral imaging technique to determine the quality of Photo and Thermal exposed and contaminated pharmaceutical formulations: A cost effective way of quality testing

Hyperspectral imaging is one of the recent technologies in the field of quality testing of pharmaceutical products. The present study describes the spectral behavior of two Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) at photo and thermal stressed conditions and the contamination on the surface. We aim to study how the hyperspectral technique can measure the physical and chemical changes of pharmaceutical ingredients at stressed conditions. Multispectral and hyperspectral cameras were used for qualitative data collection of thousands of spectra. Results were compared with traditional UV and XRD methods. Implementation of such non-destroying, non-polluting, eco-friendly and fast technology will be useful in the pharmaceutical manufacturing, packing and reaction monitoring. Hyperspectral technology will be useful in the future space explorations for a better understanding of drug stability, safety, and effectiveness in space

Geospatial Assessment of Groundwater Quality with the Distinctive Portrayal of Heavy Metals in the United Arab Emirates

Groundwater is a valuable resource, and its quality is critical to human survival. Optimal farming and urbanization degraded groundwater reserves. This research investigates and reports the spatial variability of selected heavy metals developed in the Liwa area of the United Arab Emirates. Forty water samples were collected from existing wells and analyzed for different elements. Principal components analysis was applied to a subgroup of the data set in terms of their usefulness for determining the variability of groundwater quality variables. Geographic information systems were used to produce contour maps to analyze the distribution of heavy metals. Ordinary kriging was used with Circular, Spherical, Tetraspherical, Pentaspherical-Bessel, K-Bessel, Hole effect, and Stable models for better representation. The water quality index was constructed using heavy metal concentrations and other variables. This yielded a value of 900 beyond the limit stated by WHO and US EPA. Nugget analysis showed that Cd (0), K (7.38%), and SO4 (1.81%) variables exhibited strong spatial dependence. Al (27%), Ba (40.87%), Cr (63%), Cu (34%), EC (27%), HCO3 (56%), NO3 (36%), Pb (64%), and TDS (53%) represented moderate spatial dependence. As (76%), Mn (79%), Ni (100%), pH (100%), Temp (93%), and Zn (100%) exhibited weak spatial dependence

Remote sensing and GIS based approaches to estimate evapotranspiration in the arid and semi-arid regions

In this paper we used two methodologies of remote sensing data and its derived variables for the estimation of Evapotranspiration (ET). In the first method, the sensible heat flux was calculated by combining air temperature and the remotely sensed surface temperature using Thornthwaite method. We applied and evaluated the ET successfully in the AlAin area of United Arab Emirates. In the Second method, vegetation index derived using Landsat 8 OLI was used for the determination of surface resistance for latent heat. To derive the predicted ET using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), regression analyses were conducted between data derived from satellites, published field meteorological stations data and ET values. From the collected variables of interest, we have also studied the bivariant density estimation curves. It is evident from the patterns of multimodal data that the data belong to different locations with different ET status. It was also observed that wind velocity (U) seems to be decreasing with increasing ET and rest all variable were increasing with increasing ET, which depend on the saturation vapor pressure (SVP). From this approach, we confirmed that the prediction of ET is achievable from the remote sensing data. It is also confirmed that the predicted ET results gained from the NDVI regression functions were comparable to the ET values obtained by the previously published field data. The results showed that indirect application of remotely sensed vegetation index could be used for the ET determination

An Investigation on the Morphological and Mineralogical Characteristics of Posidonius Floor Fractured Lunar Impact Crater Using Lunar Remote Sensing Data

Lunar floor‐fractured craters (FFCs) are a distinguished type of crater found on the surface of the Moon with radial, concentric, and/or polygonal fractures. In the present study, we selected the Posidonius FCC to explore the mineralogy, morphology and tectonic characteristics using remote sensing datasets. The Posidonius crater is vested with a wide moat of lava separating the crater rim inner wall terraces from the fractured central floor. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter’s (LRO) images and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data were used to map the tectonics and morphology of the present study. The Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) data of Chandrayaan‐1 were used to inves-tigate the mineralogy of the region through specified techniques such as integrated band depth, band composite and spectral characterization. The detailed mineralogical analysis indicates the nor-itic‐rich materials in one massif among four central peak rings and confirm intrusion (mafic pluton). Spectral analysis from the fresh crater of the Posidonius moat mare unit indicates clinopyroxene pigeonite in nature. Integrated studies of the mineralogy, morphology and tectonics revealed that the study region belongs to the Class‐III category of FFCs. The lithospheric loading by adjacent volcanic load (Serenitatis basin) generates a stress state and distribution of the fracture system

Characterization of biochar produced from Al Ghaf Tree for CO2 Capture

Climate change, global warming, and rise in water levels are environmental problems caused by the high emissions of greenhouse gases, and the most harmed one is carbon dioxide. Biochar is a material produced by thermochemical conversions with oxygen-depleted conditions of organic materials, and this process calls pyrolysis. Recently, it has been evaluated as a carbon dioxide capture, and its porous structure, structural properties, and production methods are easy. Al Ghaf (Prosopis cineraria) tree is one of the United Arab Emirates’ national trees with a wide range of intriguing properties, including high nutritional value, medicinal/pharmaceutical potential, and biosorption. This paper focuses on the biochar synthesized from three parts of the Al Ghaf tree: leaves, roots, and branches, to determine which part can achieve the maximum carbon dioxide capture. The ability of the produced biochar to capture carbon dioxide was tested through direct gas–solid​ interaction inside an integrated fluidized bed reactor. The carbon dioxide adsorption capacity was expressed by two methods related to (a) the loaded biochar mass and (b) the total amount of carbon dioxide fed to the reactor. The carbon dioxide adsorption capacity results concerning the loaded mass were 6.88%, 5.50%, and 3.63% for leaves, roots, and branches, respectively. At the same time, the results based on the total amount of carbon dioxide fed were 65.5%, 58.7%, and 37.7% for leaves, roots, and branches, respectively. Such results were confirmed by the physicochemical characteristics of the synthesized biochar using Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis, Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and X-ray diffraction analysis. Al Ghaf tree requires further study and inquiry to identify the most appropriate applications

Changes in the Invasion Rate of Prosopis juliflora and Its Impact on Depletion of Groundwater in the Northern Part of the United Arab Emirates

Prosopis species were introduced to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) region for desert greening. However, the species now pose a great threat to the native plant diversity. This study used high-resolution satellite imagery (1990–2019) to understand the history and current distribution of Prosopis species and their impact on fresh groundwater. The results show that the Prosopis invasion in the study area reached its maximum expansion rate in 2019 and covered an area of about 16 km2 compared to 0.2 km2 in 1990. The areas near Sharjah Airport, Umm Fannan, and Al Talla, located at a lower elevation of the sand dune area, are heavily invaded. Prosopis groundwater requirement derived using evapotranspiration shows that groundwater consumption has changed drastically after 2010 and consumed about 22.22 million m3 of groundwater in 2019, which is about a 7372% increase in groundwater consumption from the year 1990 to 2019. The results can be useful for setting up a management plan for the sustainable use of this species in the UAE region in particular and other similar countries in the arid land regions that are suffering from freshwater depletion because of Prosopis invasion

Metal composition and contamination assessment of urban roadway dusts on the Abu Dhabi-Liwa Highway, UAE

The metal composition of road-deposited dust along the Abu Dhabi-Liwa Highway was investigated to provide insight into the contamination profile and levels of road dust. The average concentrations of metals decreased in the order Al (28668 ± 4631 mg/kg)\u3e Fe (21461 ± 2594 mg/kg) \u3e Mn (711.8 ± 76.3 mg/kg) \u3e Zn (210.6 ± 51.6 mg/kg) \u3e Cu (94.9 ± 15.8 mg/kg) \u3e Pb (83.6 ± 5.3 mg/kg) \u3e Cd (75.1 ± 1.6 mg/kg) \u3e Co (62.6 ± 6.4 mg/kg) \u3e As (4.7 ± 2.9 mg/kg) \u3e Ni (0.10 ± 0.19 mg/kg) \u3e Cr (0.08 ± 0.06 mg/kg). The spatial variations of metals suggest different sources and contributing factors for these metals, with most dust metals having mixed traffic and non-traffic origins. The contamination factor (CF) and enrichment factor (EF) showed identically the same order, Cd\u3e Pb\u3e As\u3e Zn\u3e Co\u3e Cu\u3e Mn\u3e Ni\u3e Cr, whereas the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) follows a slightly different ranking, Cd\u3e Pb\u3e Zn\u3e Co\u3e As\u3e Cu\u3e Mn\u3e Ni\u3e Cr. Based on EF and CF levels, roadway dusts are enriched in all metals, except for Ni and Cr. Similarly, the average Igeo values show differing rates of pollution for all metals except for Mn, Ni, and Cr. All pollution indicators suggest extreme pollution with Cd. The pollution loading index values showed sites 1–10 are generally polluted, while sampling sites from 11 to 19 are unpolluted with decreasing pollution loadings. Dusts collected from both sides of highway were higher in metal content than those obtained from the central reservation area. This may be due to the prevailing southeast wind direction, resuspension of road dust, and farmlands, among others. Soils bordering the highway showed high metal contents with potential consequences on the agricultural products

Metagenomic Analysis of the Outdoor Dust Microbiomes: A Case Study from Abu Dhabi, UAE

Outdoor dust covers a shattered range of microbial agents from land over transportation, human microbial flora, which includes pathogen and commensals, and airborne from the environment. Dust aerosols are rich in bacterial communities that have a major impact on human health and living environments. In this study, outdoor samples from roadside barricades, safety walls, and fences (18 samples) were collected from Abu Dhabi, UAE and bacterial diversity was assessed through a 16S rRNA amplicon next generation sequencing approach. Clean data from HiSeq produced 1,099,892 total reads pairs for 18 samples. For all samples, taxonomic classifications were assigned to the OTUs (operational taxonomic units) representative sequence using the Ribosomal Database Project database. Analysis such as alpha diversity, beta diversity, differential species analysis, and species relative abundance were performed in the clustering of samples and a functional profile heat map was obtained from the OTUs by using bioinformatics tools. A total of 2814 OTUs were identified from those samples with a coverage of more than 99%. In the phylum, all 18 samples had most of the bacterial groups such as Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes. Twelve samples had Propionibacteria acnes and were mainly found in RD16 and RD3. Major bacteria species such as Propionibacteria acnes, Bacillus persicus, and Staphylococcus captis were found in all samples. Most of the samples had Streptococcus mitis, Staphylococcus capitis. and Nafulsella turpanensis and Enhydrobacter aerosaccus was part of the normal microbes of the skin. Salinimicrobium sp., Bacillus alkalisediminis, and Bacillus persicus are halophilic bacteria found in sediments. The heat map clustered the samples and species in vertical and horizontal classification, which represents the relationship between the samples and bacterial diversity. The heat map for the functional profile had high properties of amino acids, carbohydrate, and cofactor and vitamin metabolisms of all bacterial species from all samples. Taken together, our analyses are very relevant from the perspective of out-door air quality, airborne diseases, and epidemics, with broader implications for health safety and monitoring

Oiling global capital accumulation : analyzing the principles, practices and geographical distribution of Islamic financial services

This article focuses on the Islamic financial services (IFS) sector, which originated in the Middle East, but is now rapidly becoming a global sector. First, Islamic economic ideology is discussed, which resulted in the foundation of IFS firms after the 1973 oil crisis, and then an overview of the most common IFS is provided. The third part discusses the global distribution of IFS firms and Shari'a compliant assets. The Middle East is at the apex of the IFS sector, with the Islamized economies of Iran and Pakistan and prime hubs such as Manama and Dubai. Outside the Middle East, Malaysia is identified as an important growing market for IFS, while outside the Muslim world, London is increasingly profiling itself as a global IFS hub