The challenge of adopting mitigation and adaptation measures for the impacts of sand and dust storms in Eastern Mediterranean Region: a critical review

Sand and dust storms (SDS) are a major disruptor in both the source areas where they occur and at distant locations. This critical review aims to address the question of whether mitigation and adaptation measures have been or can be implemented and what is the optimal scale of their implementation to negate the impacts of SDS in Eastern...

Geophysical investigations for the identification of subsurface features influencing mineralization zones

The numerous hydrothermal alteration zones and subsurface structures affecting the mineralized deposits of the Dungash region were identified using aeromagnetic data. The Center of Exploration Targeting (CET) approach and several filters, such as reduction-to-pole, Tilt derivative, First Vertical Derivative, Horizontal gradient map, Downward...

Structural analysis and parametric study ballasted track in sandy regions

The sand intrusion in railway tracks in sandy regions can significantly change the mechanical behaviour of tracks and thus threaten the safety of train operation. This paper presents substantial field tests on both sandy and clean railway tracks to study the effect of sand intrusion on the longitudinal resistance of ballast bed and the...

Land of sand: reclaiming the sea, landscapes and lives in Malacca, Malaysia

Today, the landscapes of Asia—and Southeast Asia in particular—are undergoing major transformations, many of which are due to urbanisation processes that impact coastal areas. These are often controversial reclamation projects, generically referred to as the ‘war of sand’—an (in)visible conflict named for the raw material used to develop...

Detection of Mineralization Zones Using Aeromagnetic Data

Every day, mining corporations grow and develop over Egypt’s Eastern Desert in search of gold, silver, and other metals. Mineral resources in Egypt are a powerful tool for increasing national income. In this study, we are interested in mineral exploration, such as gold and porphyry deposits, using aeromagnetic data, applying various processing...

Mazar of the Treasury: A Pilgrimage in the Taklamakan Desert, of Data Centers and Destroyed Heritage Sites

This project embraces the latent tensions and conflicts within the mysterious Taklamakan Desert, where cultural history is being rewritten within the contemporary paradigm of surveillance capitalism. By binding the national demand for data centers with the archaeological excavation of destroyed heritage sites, the material and cultural memory of...

A Drop in the Ocean. On Writing Histories of Water Resources Management

This text builds on the shared focus of historians and engineers to understand how particular circumstances came to be. In their endeavours, engineers regularly turn attention to the past, many times with the explicit aim to build on the past. In this chapter, it is discussed why these water histories written by engineers are vulnerable to being...

Glass production from desert sand: Proof of concept and characterisation

For in-­situ resource utilisation start-up Maana Electric, an investigation was undertaken to determine whether a cover glass for solar panels can be produced using only desert sand as the raw material. During this investigation, the composition of desert sand, melt formation, processing temperatures, and mechanical and optical properties were...

The role of sky view factor and urban street greenery in human thermal comfort and heat stress in a desert climate

The aim of this study was to understand the effect of urban street greenery type and arrangements on thermal comfort and heat stress in summer. Field measurements and computer simulations were carried out on East-West (E-W) and North-South (N-S) oriented streets in Isfahan, Iran. Through the field measurements in July 2014, 17 different streets...

Did Alexander Fleming deserve the Nobel Prize?

Penicillin is a serendipitous discovery par excellence. But, what does this say about Alexander Fleming’s praiseworthiness? Clearly, Fleming would not have received the Nobel Prize, had not a mould accidently entered his laboratory. This seems paradoxical, since it was beyond his control. The present article will first discuss Fleming’s...

The Salt Project

A research into greening the desert with seawater which proposes the construction of a seawater infrastructure in which seawater is separated into fresh water and salt. The fresh water is used for growing crops in greenhouses, the salt is used for creating architecture. The developed typology is that of a salt factory in which salt building...

Building temporary structures with sand in the hot-arid climate of Saudi-Arabia

For a travelling exhibition in Saudi-Arabia I have researched ways to build with sand in a temporary way. Using the existing sandbag-technique 'super adobe' of Nader Khalili combined with an inflatable roof a new method is born. This building system allows changes and flexibility when the building travels. It is more sustainable than the current...

A multidisciplinary challenge within the procedure of designing in a complex undefines domain

Modern architectural design may be generally appointed as complex. Hence, designing in an undefined domain within the field of architecture (e.g. From the urban to the building and down into the materialisation) is also a risky task. Hence, in some situation, such a design has to deal with one or more severe constraints, therefore such a design...

Architecture and life in Aroumiatte: An oases village in Morocco

This document contains a research on architecture and life in Aroumiatte. Aroumiatte is a small oasis village in the desert of Morocco. The research has been done with relevant literature and fieldwork on the site. It can be used as a guideline for designers and other organizations who want to build or start something in this area, or in other...