The Environmental Atlas of Abu Dhabi Emirate

Ara l Sea

52°E

53°E

54°E

55°E

56°E

137

Uzbekistan

Bl ack Sea

Kazakhstan

Georgia

Ra's al- Khaimah

H YDROLOGY The present drainage network of the region is a relic of the distant past and a consequence of fluctuating global sea levels. The geologic basin reached its present shape by the end of the Pliocene period (5.4–2.4 million years ago), when the water levels were about 150 metres higher than they are today. During the subsequent Pleistocene glacial period (1.8 million to about 10,000 years ago), sea levels dropped by at least 120 metres, resulting in the formation of marine terraces and sabkhas . During

Azerbaijan

Armenia

Turkmenistan

Turkey

Casp i an Sea

Umm al-Qaiwain

A BU D HABI S URFACE W ATER R ESOURCES

Syria

Lebanon

Iran

this wetter, cooler period, pluvial (rain-fed) lakes existed in internal basins that were drained by rivers that carved the landscape as they meandered into what was then a dry Arabian Gulf. Today, and for the past 17,000 years, hyper-arid conditions prevail and not a single watercourse reaches the sea throughout the year. Past events have had major effects on today’s composition and distribution of fresh water in the region.

Ajman

West Bank

Jordan

Sharjah Iraq

Qatar

Dubai

Kuwait

Bahrain

A r a b i a n G u l f

Qatar

G u l

f

o f

O

m

a n

United Arab Emirates

Egypt

25°N

25°N

R e

Saudi Arabia

Oman

d

Sudan

S

e a

A r a b i a n G u l f

Eritrea

Yemen

Mkasib

Abu Dhabi

Qaffay

A r a b i a n S e a

Djibouti

G u l f o f A d e n

Muhayyimat

Arabian Gulf Watershed

Ghaghah

Musaffah

Bani Yas

Al Ain

Jebel Dhanna

Ruwais

Tarif

Sila'a

24°N

24°N

Habshan

Ghayathi

Madinat Zayed

SABKHA

Bu Hasa

MATTI

Oman

Liwa

23°N

23°N

Towns

Large/Medium Towns

Roads

Dual Carriageway

Surface Hydrology

Saudi Arabia

Sabkhas /Salt Pans Ephemeral Streams ( Wadis )

20

0

20

40 Kilometres

52°E

53°E

54°E

55°E

56°E