Climate Features of Dakhla Oasis
Reiji Kimura
Abstract The Dakhla Oasis climate is predominantly controlled by a dry wind that
blows hot air from the Sahara at subtropical high pressures, which causes an oasis
effect. Therefore, the characteristics of the Dakhla Oasis climate are typical for both
desert and oasis. This chapter describes these climatic features, which are explained
using synoptic meteorological data from 2007 to 2016. Climate differences between
the Dakhla and Kharga oases are also briefly discussed. Recommendations for use of
improved remote-sensing resources to monitor climate in this area are also presented.
Keywords Dakhla Oasis · Climate · Oasis effect · Arid regions
1 Introduction
Crop production is largely related to the Nile River in Egypt (Kato et al. 2010; Kimura
et al. 2020). Vegetation grows primarily in the Nile delta region, whereas very little
vegetation is observed far from the Nile River because of Egypt’s hyper-arid climate.
There are areas, however, where vegetation is found far from the Nile. The amount
of vegetation growing in these oases is small, but they have long been part of the
desert landscape (Kimura et al. 2015).
Cultivation in oasis areas is highly dependent on artesian groundwater originating from the Nubian aquifer (Dabous and Osmond 2001). Although the amount
of groundwater resources is very large, the water is not rechargeable because of little
rainfall. Wells are therefore dried up in the future. Groundwater tables differ due to
geological features. Wells are developed as previous wells are not used. Therefore,
crop production in oasis regions is unstable from a sustainable water use perspective
(Kimura et al. 2015).
Dakhla is in the middle of Egypt, that is, southwest of capital Cairo (Kimura et al.
2015). The Dakhla depression extends about 155 km in an east-west direction. The
land is very fertile and rich in water—the suitable agricultural area is about 155 km
R. Kimura (B)
Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori 680-0001, Japan
e-mail: rkimura@tottori-u.ac.jp
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
E. Iwasaki et al. (eds.), Sustainable Water Solutions in the Western Desert,
Egypt: Dakhla Oasis, Earth and Environmental Sciences Library,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64005-7_6
89
Reiji Kimura
Abstract The Dakhla Oasis climate is predominantly controlled by a dry wind that
blows hot air from the Sahara at subtropical high pressures, which causes an oasis
effect. Therefore, the characteristics of the Dakhla Oasis climate are typical for both
desert and oasis. This chapter describes these climatic features, which are explained
using synoptic meteorological data from 2007 to 2016. Climate differences between
the Dakhla and Kharga oases are also briefly discussed. Recommendations for use of
improved remote-sensing resources to monitor climate in this area are also presented.
Keywords Dakhla Oasis · Climate · Oasis effect · Arid regions
1 Introduction
Crop production is largely related to the Nile River in Egypt (Kato et al. 2010; Kimura
et al. 2020). Vegetation grows primarily in the Nile delta region, whereas very little
vegetation is observed far from the Nile River because of Egypt’s hyper-arid climate.
There are areas, however, where vegetation is found far from the Nile. The amount
of vegetation growing in these oases is small, but they have long been part of the
desert landscape (Kimura et al. 2015).
Cultivation in oasis areas is highly dependent on artesian groundwater originating from the Nubian aquifer (Dabous and Osmond 2001). Although the amount
of groundwater resources is very large, the water is not rechargeable because of little
rainfall. Wells are therefore dried up in the future. Groundwater tables differ due to
geological features. Wells are developed as previous wells are not used. Therefore,
crop production in oasis regions is unstable from a sustainable water use perspective
(Kimura et al. 2015).
Dakhla is in the middle of Egypt, that is, southwest of capital Cairo (Kimura et al.
2015). The Dakhla depression extends about 155 km in an east-west direction. The
land is very fertile and rich in water—the suitable agricultural area is about 155 km
R. Kimura (B)
Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori 680-0001, Japan
e-mail: rkimura@tottori-u.ac.jp
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
E. Iwasaki et al. (eds.), Sustainable Water Solutions in the Western Desert,
Egypt: Dakhla Oasis, Earth and Environmental Sciences Library,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64005-7_6
89