The Effect of Increased Vegetation on Dust in Ghudhai

¹ Environment and Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait
² Department of Geography, Aswan University, Egypt

^* Corresponding author: ndousari@kisr.edu.kw

Abstract

The most dominant wind in Kuwait is the north western wind. Ghudhai is an undulating area costal sabkha with smooth sand sheet. The area was fenced in 2019 and monitored for 44 months from September 2019 till April 2023. NDVI index was achieved showing significant enhanced vegetation cover in 2023 due to increased rain precipitation to 143 mm. Dust collectors were placed in the area to roughly estimate and demonstrate the settlement of dust over the area. A total of eight dust collectors were placed upwind and down wind. The most dominant plants in the area is Zygophyllum sp., Nitraria retusa and Lycium shawii. Because of active wind and the presence of native plants, Ghudhai is considered a dominated area of nabkha formation. The size and dimension of nabkhas were calculated for 60 nabkhas. and data showed that single nabkhas were capable to trap 2.55 m³, compound nabkha can trap 3.86 m³ and complex nabkha formed by more than 3 plants can trap 6.68 m³. Due to effect of increased vegetation cover after fencing the area and native plant capabilities of capturing sediments of sand and dust that has fallen, dust was reduced by 38.56%.