Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
soils were sandy to sandy clay loam. The soils are dry, alkaline and highly saline, EC
e
ranged between 4 to 200 dSm
-1
, and the most abundant ions in these soils and plants living
in these soils are Na
+
and Cl
-
followed by K
+
, Ca
2+
, and Mg
2+
. Most plant species are
halophytes, undershrubs and succulents, with xerophytes due inland around Doha [3, 41,
46]. Halophytes did not accumulate much proline, soluble nitrogen and photosynthetic
pigments, however, xerophytes do contain much of these organic components [4].
5.3. Problems
Recognition of the problems facing human life in all aspects, like economy, agriculture,
health and wild life has been considered as the first step to successful scientific solution
programs to tackle these problems. The problems facing the wild life in the State of Qatar
can be summarized as follows: (1) harsh environment in terms of drought, salinity and high
temperatures have great impact on the agricultural economy and the plant wild life.
Changes in the climate, evaporation of water due to extreme high temperatures and scarcity
of rainfall, and the intrusion of seawater into the underground water are the main reasons
behind such problems. Irrigation of crops in the Gulf region faces serious challenges because
of limited water supply of good quality suitable for normal plant growth. Moreover, large
areas of the Qatari land are suitable for agricultural purposes; however, these areas are not
only suffering from water shortage but also facing a problem of continuous increasing
salanization. Soil salinity reached levels that inhibit the growth and yield of most crop
plants, (2) disappearance of many coastal and inland habitats due to enormous urban
constructions in various areas especially in Doha city which are accompanied with
industrial expansions is putting the environment at risk, threatening ecosystem services and
biological diversity, (3) wastewater accumulation at the outskirts of Doha and other towns
due to the industrial activities of gas and oil could have great impact on the human and wild
life. Pollution caused by heavy metals and organic hydrocarbons of the wastewater may
cause real threats to many sectors of economy, agriculture, health and wild life.
5.4. Plans
Scientists have paid great deal of attention to the problems facing the mankind after
considerable technological progresses to provide effective solutions to those problems. In
the State of Qatar, there is a widespread perception among scientists and officials about the
hazardous effects of pollutants resulted from accumulation of wastewater produced during
gas and oil industrialization. Many serious measures have been taken in eliminating or
reducing the adverse impact of those activities through a number of regulations to support
scientific researches about the consequences of the loss of many natural habitats as well as
the accumulation of organic and inorganic pollutants. For example, gas companies have
pledged to the Supreme Council for Environmental Nature Reserve (SCENR) to implement
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for any plan to change the natural habitats. EIA is
defined as a process of evaluating the impact and consequences of a project on various
aspects of human life in both beneficial and adverse. Two main types of research to restore
