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Groundwater vulnerability to selenium in semi-arid environments: Amman Zarqa Basin, Jordan

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Abstract

An evaluation of ~250 samples of groundwater in the Amman Zarqa Basin for selenium along with other major and trace elements showed that concentrations of Se ranged between 0.09 and 742 μg/L, with an average value of about 24 μg/L. Selenium concentrations exceeded the recommended threshold for drinking water of the World Health Organization (WHO; 10 μ/L of Se) in 114 samples, with greater than 50 μg/L (quantity equivalent to the Jordanian standard of the allowed concentration of the element in water) of Se in nine cases. The average concentrations of Se in the lower, middle, and upper aquifers of the basin were 3.41, 32.99, and 9.19 μg/L, respectively. Based on the correlation with geologic formations and the statistical analysis of major/minor constituents and Piper tri-linear diagrams, we suggest that carbonate/phosphate dissolution, oxidation–reduction processes, and fertilizers/irrigation return flow are, together, the primary factors affecting the chemistry of the groundwater. Factor analysis helped to define the relative role of limestone-dolomitic dissolution in the aquifers (calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate), agricultural activities (sulfate, nitrates, phosphorus, and potassium), oxidation–reduction factor (Eh, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, and Se), and anthropogenic (industrial) factor (EC, Fe, Cr, Co, Zn, and As). The high variability in Se concentrations might be related to the possibility of a multi-source origin of Se in the area.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewer of Environment Geochemistry and Health for his valuable comments which highly improved the article. The authors would like to thank the Deanship of Scientific Research at the University of Jordan for supporting and financing this research by grant no. (1100), 4/2007–2008. The authors are also grateful to Prof. Dr. Abed, Prof. Dr. Saffarini, and Prof. Jarrar from the Department of Applied Geology and Environment, University of Jordan, for their helpful and valuable discussion and improving the quality of the original article.

My great thanks are extended to my colleague Dr. Jason Rech from Miami University for his valuable comments and suggestions to improve the article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied and Environmental Geology, University of Jordan, P.O. Box 13437, Amman, 11942, Jordan

    Mustafa Al Kuisi

  2. Department of Geological Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, USA

    Ahmad Abdel-Fattah

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  1. Mustafa Al Kuisi
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  2. Ahmad Abdel-Fattah
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Correspondence to Mustafa Al Kuisi.

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Kuisi, M.A., Abdel-Fattah, A. Groundwater vulnerability to selenium in semi-arid environments: Amman Zarqa Basin, Jordan. Environ Geochem Health 32, 107–128 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-009-9269-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-009-9269-y

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