Salinity Management in Arid Regions - Restorative Redevelopment of Devastated Ecocultural Landscapes - page 420

FIGURE 21.2 Resembling snow, extensive surface deposits of salt at the ancient
Mesopotamian city of Mari, located near the Syria-Iraq border. ( Continued )

SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING ISSUES
It is important to first establish some definitions (Dickey and Madison 2004). Salinity
is composed of common ions dissolved in water ranging from sodium to nutrients and
trace elements like selenium, molybdenum, and boron, noting that at higher concen-
trations some of these latter elements can become toxic. “Applied water” is the water
applied as irrigation or flowing into a marsh system. “Consumptive use” is water
actually taken up by plants. “Drainage” is the remainder not taken up by plants that's
leaving the field or the marsh system. This is drainage for beneficial purpose. On the