How wet is wet? Precipitation constraints on late Quaternary climate in the southern Arabian Peninsula

Journal of Hydrology
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Abstract

It is generally recognized that the southern Arabian Peninsula has had two wet periods in the late Quaternary. To quantify ‘wet’ a 28 000 year old capillary surface associated with a paleowater-table was mapped and used as a surrogate for the water table in a ground-water model. Analysis of this model suggests 1.4 mm year−1 of recharge is necessary to support the water table at the mapped elevations during the wet period. Climatic relations between rainfall and recharge in arid areas infer that annual rainfall during this wet period was approximately 200 ± 50 mm year−1 or approximately five times the present rate.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title How wet is wet? Precipitation constraints on late Quaternary climate in the southern Arabian Peninsula
Series title Journal of Hydrology
DOI 10.1016/0022-1694(94)02551-L
Volume 164
Issue 1-4
Year Published 1995
Language English
Publisher Elsevier
Contributing office(s) Toxic Substances Hydrology Program
Description 6 p.
First page 263
Last page 268
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