Environmental Assessment of Soil and Groundwater and its Relation to Plant Diversity in the Al-Aslaq Area, South of Tobruk, Libya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63359/xs1erb24Keywords:
Soil properties, Groundwater quality, Plant diversity, Salinity, Tobruk, LibyaAbstract
This study aims to evaluate the environmental characteristics of soils and groundwater in the semi-arid Al-Aslaq region south of Tobruk, Libya, and to analyze their relationship with the vegetation diversity in the area. The results showed that the soils are predominantly alkaline (pH 7.8–8.0) with low to moderate salinity levels (EC 0.34–0.55 dS/m), classifying them as calcareous sandy-loam soils with low fertility due to their limited organic matter content (1%). Groundwater analyses revealed high salinity (EC 5500 µS/cm), exceeding the permissible limits for drinking and irrigation according to World Health Organization (WHO) standards. A total of 50 plant species belonging to 14 families were recorded, including halophytes, nitrogen-fixing species, and medicinal plants, indicating a notable degree of functional ecological diversity under harsh environmental conditions. The findings suggest that soil and water salinity, along with alkalinity, represent the principal environmental factors controlling plant growth in the region. The study recommends improving water resource management and promoting the use of drought- and salt-tolerant plant species in land reclamation and desertification control programs in semi-arid environments.
References
سليمان، م. م. م. (2021). أثر تذبذب شمال الأطلسي على الأمطار في منطقة طبرق للفترة 1985–2018. مجلة كلية الآداب، جامعة بنغازي، (5)، 88–109.
عباس، م. ف. ع.، يوسف، ح. ف.، وأجويدة، ف. إ. م. (2022). صلاحية المياه الجوفية للاستخدام في الري وتقييم ملوحة التربة بمنطقة حفلز شرق مدينة طبرق–ليبيا. مجلة جامعة السلام الدولية، 12، 98–110.
محمد منهل الزعبي، انس المصطفى الحصني، و حسان درغام. (2013). طرائق تحليل التربة والمياه والنبات والاسمدة. وزارة الزراعة والإصلاح الزراعي.سوريا.
Allafe, M. A. O., Abdullah, A., Alshaary, M., & Abd Al-Karem, N. N. K. (2023). Survey and study of biodiversity in Shabruq Valley, Tobruq, Libya.
Science & Technology’s Development Journal (STDJ), 1(4), 202–209.
Al-Tamimi, R. (2017). Impact of soil salinization on natural vegetation and land deterioration (Wadi Al-Shatti, Southern Libya). Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Sciences. https://doi.org/10.36103/ijas.v48iSpecial.245
Alzway, A. A. (2015). Groundwater quality and hydrogeochemical processes in the Kufra Basin, Libya [Doctoral dissertation, University of Glasgow]. University of Glasgow Theses. https://theses.gla.ac.uk/7091/7/2015AboeltiyahAlzwayPhD.pdf
APHA. (2017). Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater (23rd ed.). American Public Health Association. https://doi.org/10.2105/SMWW.2882.217
Ayers, R. S., & Westcot, D. W. (1985). Water quality for agriculture (FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper No. 29, Rev. 1). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. https://www.fao.org/4/t0234e/t0234e00.htm
Bremner, J. M. (1996). Nitrogen—Total. In D. L. Sparks (Ed.), Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 3 (pp. 1085–1121). Soil Science Society of America. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssabookser5.3.c37
Chen, C., et al. (2025). The Importance of Soil Seed Bank Function in Studies of Grassland Degradation and Restoration. biodiversity, 17(1), 42. https://doi.org/10.3390/1424-2818.17.1.42
Drechsel, P., Marjani Zadeh, S., & Pedrero, F. (Eds.). (2023). Water Quality in Agriculture: Risks and Risk Mitigation. Rome: FAO & IWMI. https://doi.org/10.4060/cc7340en
Eldiabani, G. S., & Elsbia, S. M. (2022). Influence of the temperature on soil's exchangeable cations and cation exchange capacity, Derna district, Libya: A field and laboratory study. World Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology and Sciences.
Flowers, T., Munns, R., & Colmer, T. (2015). Sodium chloride toxicity and the cellular basis of salt tolerance in halophytes. Annals of Botany, 115(3), 419–431. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcu217
Hamad, J. R. J., et al. (2021). Quality Assessment of Groundwater Resources in the City of Al-Marj (Libya) and Comparison with WHO Guidelines. Processes, 9(1), 154. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9010154
Jackson, M. L. (1973). Soil Chemical Analysis. Prentice-Hall of India. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5921-1
Luo, C. (2023). Soil seed bank responses to anthropogenic disturbances: a supplementary indicator for ecosystem recovery. Global Ecology and Conservation, 46, e02567. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02567
Nelson, D. W., & Sommers, L. E. (1996). Total carbon, organic carbon, and organic matter. In D. L. Sparks (Ed.), Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 3 (pp. 961–1010). Soil Science Society of America. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssabookser5.3.c34
USSL.1954) Diagnosis and Improvement of Saline and Alkali Soils.United StateSalinity Laboratory, Agricultural Handbook, USDA, No. 60, pp. 160.
WHO. (2011). World Health (WHO) Organization Fourth ed Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality.
Zhao, S., et al. (2023). Impact of deeper groundwater depth on vegetation and soil in arid–semiarid regions. Frontiers in Plant Science, 14, 1186406.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Libyan Journal of Ecological & Environmental Sciences and Technology
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
