A comprehensive overview of Saudi Arabia’s environment, this volume is a unique and authoritative text on the geological and environmental aspects of Saudi Arabia, a country about which little is known by the outside world. Saudi Arabia is a fascinating country with a long tradition of environmental awareness and sensitivity, pitted against some of the harshest environments on earth. The book brings together a wide range of published and unpublished material which will be of interest to environmental scientists, geologists, geographers and biologists. A comprehensive bibliography is included. This book will be indispensable for university courses dealing with the Middle East and arid zone environments as well as various regional/environmental courses.
Saudi Arabia: An Environmental Overview
Saudi Arabia: An Environmental Overview
Peter Vincent
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2008. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” Taylor & Francis is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2008 Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Although all care is taken to ensure integrity and the quality of this publication and the information herein, no responsibility is assumed by the publishers nor the author for any damage to the property or persons as a result of operation or use of this publication and/or the information contained herein. Published by: Taylor & Francis/Balkema P.O. Box 447, 2300 AK Leiden, The Netherlands e-mail:
[email protected] www.balkema.nl, www.taylorandfrancis.co.uk, www.crcpress.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Saudi Arabia: an environmental overview/Peter Vincent. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-415-41387-9 (hardcover: alk. paper) 1. Saudi Arabia–Environmental Conditions. I. Vincent, Peter. GE160.S32V56 2008 363.7009538–dc22 ISBN 0-203-03088-5 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 978-0-415-41387-9 (Hbk) ISBN 978-0-203-03088-2 (eBook)
2007024276
Contents
List of Figures List of Tables Preface Acknowledgments 1
An environment discovered
ix xiii xvii xxi 1
1.1
Introduction
1
1.2
Early European explorers
2
1.3
The nineteenth century
2
1.4
Twentieth century explorers
9
2
The Kingdom
17
2.1
Introduction
17
2.2
Main physiographic regions
19
2.3
A journey through time
29
2.4
The modern Kingdom – growing environmental pressures
35
3
Geological framework
45
3.1
Introduction
45
3.2
Brief geological history
48
3.3
Regional geology
54
3.4
Economic geology
62
vi
Contents
4
Climate and environmental change
67
4.1
Introduction
68
4.2
Synoptic climatology and seasons
69
4.3
Air temperature
71
4.4
Atmospheric humidity and evaporation
72
4.5
Precipitation
75