LOCATING REGIONS OF HIGH PROBABILITY FOR GROUNDWATER IN THE WADI-EL-ARISH BASIN, SINAI, EGYPT

A method which incorporates satellite imagery and a geographic informa tion system (GIS) to detect areas of likely groundwater has been appli ed to the northern Sinai Penisula. The technique involves integration of bifurcation ratio, drainage density, stream frequency, slope and pr ecipitation. The unique aspect of this research is both the use of Lan dsat satellite imagery and the study area itself. Aerial photography i s normally used for delineation of the variables, but the unique deser t environment of northern Sinai gave sufficient detail from satellite images. These physical features when combined in a GIS yield a highly reliable prediction of occurrence of groundwater sources. The results of the prediction map were compared with ground measurements based on vertical electrical sounding (VES) and the Shallow Seismic techniques. It was found that all of the areas predicted to yield groundwater had positive VES and Shallow Seismic readings. These results demonstrate that satellite remote sensing when used in a GIS can be a useful tool in detecting and mapping groundwater in a desert environment.