Soil and Water Physical & Chemical Properties of Tragen Sabkha Area, Southwest Libya

• Mohamed Ali Elssaidi

  Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Engineering and Technical Sciences, Sabah University, Libya

  Author

• Ramadan Mohamed Aishah

  Environ. Sc. Dept.., Faculty of Engineering & Technology, Sebha University, Libya.

  Author

The paper aims to evaluate Tragen saline Sabkhat, South Libya, through analysis of soil physicochemical properties in seven profiles representing the region. The results show that climate components contribute effectively to the formation of Sabkha and saline crust due to high temperature, high evaporation rates, and differences in moisture content vertically (5 - 74%), which were higher in the deep layers due to their proximity to the level of groundwater. Soil colors varied due to their different salt content, oxidation, and reduction processes due to the fluctuation of groundwater levels. The soils were classified as desert soils with sandy or sandy clay or sandy loam, characterized by an impermeable layer at a 30 cm depth in some sectors, and overall, the soils were high porosity (53%). And contains CaCO₃ between 2.1 - 4.6%. Most soil samples are low in organic matter (2.0 - 2.6%). The salinity of the crust layer is high 41.6 - 114.2 dS.m^-1, which decreases with depth, indicating the accumulation of salts on the surface due to the upward movement of dissolved salts, which have a salinity around 129.86 dS.m ^-1 with the confirmation of Cl^- prevalence within the salt composition within the Sabkha soil and water. Sulphates/chlorides ratio of the studied soils was (>1) indicating chloride salts dominance.In conclusion, the results indicated that the soil of Tragen Sabkha has reached the last saline stages and the presence of salts with physiological toxicity on the vegetation. This has been reflected in the lack of plant biodiversity in the region, which was restricted to species belonging to three species, namely such as Zyophyllaceae, henopodiaceae and Poaceae spp., in addition to the spread of some trees, such as tamarix and palm trees around the area surrounding the Sabkha.

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