摘要：The flow of groundwater into the sea, which is knownas submarine groundwater discharge (SGD), is animportant phenomenon that has proven impacts onthe chemistry of coastal waters. Having stated that, SGDcan be a significant component of the elemental budget ofKuwait Bay (KB). In an effort to support sound managementof the bay, this study provides the first estimates of SGD toKB and the Kuwait coastline in the Arabian Gulf. Usingradium as a tracer for groundwater, estimates of SGDrates ranged from 1.1 to 2.8 × 107 m3 d-1 (55 to 150 m3 m-1d-1) for KB and 0.65 to 1.3 × 107 m3 d-1 (65 to 125 m3 m-1d-1) for the Arabian Gulf. Based on average groundwaterconcentrations around the bay, SGD adds about 1000 tonesd-1 of nitrate into the bay. The extreme aridity of the Gulfregion has been a major factor in the setup of the radiumbudget in the following ways: (1) dust storms greater than5 g m-2 d-1 have the potential to add significant quantities ofradium to coastal waters, and hence should be accounted forin this and similar environments; (2) seawater evaporationduring hot and dry periods may lead to density drivenexchange between surface water and groundwater, and; (3)urbanization driven recharge dominates SGD’s temporaltrend. Signs of SGD impact on bay characteristics wereexamined. Overall, temperature, nitrate and chlorophyll-ahave shown temporal and spatial trends similar to radium.
