Within the frame work of the International Water Research Alliance Saxony (IWAS), project “Middle East” a complex integrated water management system is developed and tested in the project region of Middle East (Oman and Saudi-Arabia). Hence, new solutions for a sustainable management of the scarce water resources in (semi-) arid regions are explored within IWAS in the sultanate of Oman on which this study work is carried out. Rainfall runoff models are established to estimate the “water yield” of the catchments in the project region. Modeling is a very important tool that enables hydrologists to make more comprehensive use of rainfall time series. Rainfall-runoff modeling is also useful for water resources assessment as these models can generate a long representative time series of stream flow volumes from which water supply schemes can be designed (D.A. Hughes, 1995). Therefore, this study project mainly focuses on the following main tasks such as data analysis, data processing and statistical evaluation; Model selection and model setup; Model adaptation test and verification. As part of the common modeling protocol, sensitivity analysis of a Rainfall-Runoff Modeling Toolbox (RRMT) is carried out in this study with the aim to identify sensitive model parameters. RRMT has been developed in order to produce parsimonious, lumped model structures with a high level of parameter identifiability. Such identifiability is crucial if relationships between the model parameters representing the system and catchment characteristics are to be established. RRMT is a modular framework that allows its user to implement different model structures to find a suitable balance between model performance and parameter identifiability. The study is carried out in the upper catchment part of Wadi Ma’wil (gauge near to Afi’), Batinah Region of the Sultanate of Oman. Arid and semi-arid zones are characterized by rainfall which is highly variable in space, time, quantity and duration (Noy-Meir, 1973). The Sultanate of Oman is characterized by hyper-arid (<100 mm rainfall), through the arid (100–250 mm rainfall) and semi-arid (250–500 mm rainfall) environments that are experienced in different parts of the country. Furthermore, arid areas have distinctive hydrological features substantially different from those of humid areas. The high temporal and spatial distribution of the rainfall, flash floods, absence of base flow, sparsity of plant cover, high transmission losses, high amounts of evaporation and evapotranspiration and the general climatologies are examples of such differences.:Acknowledgments i Abstract ii List of Figures and Photos v List of Tables and Plots v 1. Description of Study Area 1 1.1 General characteristics of arid regions 1 1.2 Study area (Batinah Region and Ma’awil catchment of gauge ‘Afi’) 2 1.2.1 Overview of Study area 2 1.2.2 Wadi Ma’awil and Gauge near to Afi’ 3 2. Data Processing and Evaluation 6 2.1 Rainfall data 6 2.1.1 Monthly and Annual Mean Rainfall Analyses 6 2.1.2 Estimation of Missing Precipitation Data 6 2.1.3 Annual and monthly average rainfall 6 2.2 Runoff data 9 2.2.1Rainfall-Runoff events – Processing and Analysis 9 2.2.2 Wadi Ma’awil Runoff Analysis 9 2.3 Areal Precipitation 11 2.3.1 Area 11 2.3.2 Summary of Calculated Results of Mean Annual Areal Precipitation 12 2.4 Evapotranspiration 13 2.4.1 Evaporation and Potential Evapotranspiration 13 2.4.2 Calculation of Evapotranspiration by FAO Penman-Monteith Equation 13 2.4.3 Sample Calculation for Daily ET using FAO Penman-Monteith Equation 14 2.4.4 Comparisons of Evapotranspiration Calculation Results 16 3. Rainfall-Runoff Modeling 16 3.1 Modeling approach – selection of modules 16 3.1.1 Basic Principle 16 3.1.2 Classification of models 16 3.1.3 Modeling Process 17 3.2 Rainfall-Runoff Modeling Toolbox 19 3.2.1 Introduction 19 3.2.2 Data Needs and Model Structure 20 3.3 Provision of input data 20 3.4 Calibration and Validation 20 3.4.1 Model Calibration and Validation 21 3.5 Sensitivity Analysis 22 3.6 Discussions of Results 23 3.6.1 Optimization Modules 23 3.6.2 Soil Moisture Accounting (SMA) Modules 24 3.6.3 Routing (R) Modules 25 3.6.4 The objective functions 26 3.6.5 Visualization Modules Results 27 3.7 Conclusions and Recommendations 35 3.7.1 Conclusions 35 3.7.2 Limitations and Recommendations 35 References 37 Appendix 38 Appendix A: Daily extraterrestrial radiation (Ra) for different latitudes for the 15th day of the month 38 Appendix B: Mean daylight hours (N) for different latitudes for the 15th of the month 38 Annexes 39 Annex - A: Mean Rainfall for the Gauge Afi’ from 1995 – 2005 39 Annex A-1: Annual Mean Rainfall for Gauge Afi’ for the time period 1995-2005 39 Annex A-2: Monthly Mean Rainfall for Gauge Afi’ for the time period 1995-2005 39 Annex A-3: Monthly Mean Rainfall for each Rain Gauge within the Wadi Ma’awil Catchment area for the time period 1995-2005 40 Annex - B: Rainfall - Runoff events for the Gauge Afi’ 41 Annex B-1: Annual Rainfall Vs Runoff events for the Gauge Afi’ from 1995 – 2005 42 Annex B-2: Monthly Rainfall Vs Runoff events for the Gauge Afi’ from 1995 – 2005 44 Annex B-3: Daily Rainfall Vs Runoff events for the Gauge Afi’ sample graphs with the time period from 1995to 2005 46

This study was conducted at the mountainous catchment part of Batinah Region of the Sultanate of Oman called Al-Awabi watershed which is about 260km2 in area with about 40 Km long Wadi main channel. The study paper presents a proposed modeling approach and possible scenario analysis which uses 1D - hydraulic modeling for flood routing analysis; and the main tasks of this study work are (1) Model setup for Al-Awabi watershed area, (2) Sensitivity Analysis, and (3) Scenario Analysis on impacts of rainfall characteristics and transmission losses. The model was set for the lower 24 Km long of Al-Awabi main channel (Figure 13). Channel cross-sections were the main input to the 1D-Hydraulic Model used for the analysis of flash flood routing of the Al-Awabi watershed. As field measurements of the Wadi channel cross-sections are labor intensive and expensive activities, availability of measured channel cross-sections is barely found in this study area region of Batinah, Oman; thereby making it difficult to simulate the flood water level and discharge using MIKE 11 HD. Hence, a methodology for extracting the channel cross-sections from ASTER DEM (27mX27m) and Google Earth map were used in this study area. The performance of the model setup was assessed so as to simulate the flash flood routing analysis at different cross-sections of the modeled reach. And from this study, although there were major gap and problems in data as well as in the prevailing topography, slope and other Hydro Dynamic parameters, it was concluded that the 1D-Hydraulic Modelling utilized for flood routing analysis work can be applied for the Al-Awabi watershed. And from the simulated model results, it was observed that the model was sensitive to the type of Boundary Condition chosen and taken, channel cross sections and its roughness coefficient utilized throughout the model reach.

No description available.

This study examines the political life of Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmad al-Fatih Al Khalifa, the fifth ruler of the Al Khalifa dynasty and the third of that family to rule Bahrain. It is a political biography, examining the tactics used by Shaikh Abdullah and his family to fend off threats from various foes. Those tactics ranged from direct military combat, to entry into temporary protector-protégé relationships, to playing off one foe against another. His ability to employ such tactics effectively enabled him and his family to neutralize or defeat their foes. This study examines local statecraft tactics through the case study of one of the Gulf’s greatest nineteenth century statesmen. It also looks at the reasons that resulted in Shaikh Abdullah’s political downfall. Those reasons were domestic and external factors that the Shaikh seems to have either ignored or been unable to fully address. That inability and/or shortcoming in addressing those factors would have cost any Gulf ruler his rulership, not just Shaikh Abdullah, as similar aspects prevailed in the other Gulf shaikhdoms. The study examines the life of a political leader whose achievements have been played down, even neglected, by most modern historians in Bahrain and the Gulf. The reason for this neglect lies perhaps in the natural desire of the current ruling branch of the Al Khalifa family to discourage any potential future claim to the throne by the descendants of Shaikh Abdullah, who have lived in exile from Bahrain ever since Shaikh Abdullah’s overthrow in 1843.

Ancient settlements in Oman are frequently found where crops can be cultivated with groundwater distributed to fields by gravity flow. These irrigation systems are called aflāj (s. falaj), and they are still pivotal to community life: in 1997 over 3000 such systems were still in use. The allocation of falaj water among farmers traditionally depended on the use of the sun and the stars to track the passage of time. This practice, and particularly the use of stars, is disappearing rapidly: the availability of watches since c. 1970 means that there is now little technical reason to use the stars. The study records fast disappearing information on the ethnography of agricultural communities in northern Oman and, in particular, on the use of stars. It aims to identify the stars used and record the methods of stargazing in sufficient detail that the systems could be replicated if all local knowledge were lost. It also aims to raise awareness and improve the understanding of the significance of the traditional use of the stars in irrigated agriculture. This aspect of the cultural heritage of the region has not been written about previously in such detail. The research questions concern how, where and why stars are still used. There are several documents on falaj building and organisation in Oman, but relatively little on telling the time, and much less on the stars than on the use of the sun. The available documents were reviewed, but the main source for this study is data collected in the field, interviewing falaj managers and stargazers and watching the stars with them. Field work was carried out in different seasons since the stars used vary through the year. International experts were consulted on various aspects of the work, including Daniel Varisco on folk astronomy and Paul Kunitzsch on star names. The study focuses on five settlements where stars are used to this day. These are Qarya Beni Subh (Qarya), close to the mountains near the town of Al Hamra in the Interior Region; Al Fath, Zahib, Sudayra and Barzaman near the towns of Mudaybi and Sinaw in the Eastern Region. Additional information was obtained from a few other places for comparison, and during the course of the research it was found that only about eight of three thousand active falaj communities still use stars for time keeping. The methods of stargazing are given in detail, together with the names of the stars in Oman and their international classification where possible. It was found that the number of stars, the stars used, and their names in Oman vary from place to place. The time that each star represents is more variable than expected from the difference in length of night during the year. The stars used for falaj purposes are compared with those used in the region for navigation and with the stations of the moon of the Islamic calendar, but no evidence of any link between them was identified. On the basis of the history of falaj systems in Oman, the star names and the stars used, at least two of which are from the pre-Islamic Bedu tradition, it is concluded that the system of stargazing for timing water dates from pre-Islamic times, before the introduction of the stations of the moon. The main reason for the continued use of stars by a few communities, even though wristwatches are now widely available, is thought to be adherence to tradition both for its own sake and to avoid disputes over the sharing of water. It is considered unlikely that this ancient practice will survive more than 10 or 20 years unless the younger generation takes an interest in learning, and putting into practice, the traditions of their forefathers.

Morbidity due to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) has become a worldwide epidemic. As a result, the United Nations (2015) Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDGs) included goal (3.4) that aims to reduce the premature mortality from NCDs by one third. All countries, regardless of income, are required to develop strategies and achieve a reduction in the burden of NCDs. This study, conducted in the Sultanate of Oman, aimed to explore individuals' knowledge, perceptions, actions and intentions to modify their lifestyle to reduce their risk of stroke. The Health Belief Model (HBM) was used as the underpinning theoretical framework to provide a broader conceptual understanding of the Omani sociocultural and structural influences on individuals' lifestyles. A convergent mixed methods design within a realist social constructionism methodology was used. Both quantitative (344 questionnaires) and qualitative (10 interviews) data were integrated using a narrative weaving approach. The study results confirm that both agency and structure influenced the adoption of healthy behaviours in Oman. The study indicates that the study participants are likely to engage in health-related behaviours when they perceived the benefit of such a course of actions in term of it reducing their risk of stroke. The study found that in the Omani setting, individual factors such as fear, family experience and physical sickness, the psychological status of chronic conditions and a cost-benefit analysis of the behaviour influence the individuals' decisions to practise a healthy lifestyle. The major finding in the study showed that perceptions of risk vary among individuals who share the same culture and religion, particularly individual perception of religious belief was found to influence their susceptibility to stroke risk. In addition, the study identified some sociocultural and structural factors that influenced the individuals' decisions to engage in a healthy lifestyle. This study presents an extended HBM to incorporate the role of individual religious beliefs as an individual factor. The study suggests that health improvement plans are needed in Oman to develop both individual- and community- level interventions to achieve the target of SDGs for NCDs.

Ophiolites - thrust sheets of oceanic lithosphere that have been emplaced onto the continental margin - provide the opportunity to explore the structure and genesis of oceanic crust. As many ophiolites formed above subduction zones, they also allow for the investigation of mantle wedge and subduction interface processes. This the- sis examines the Oman-United Arab Emirates (UAE) ophiolite, which is the largest and most intensely studied ophiolite on Earth. Three distinct problems are addressed. (1) Recent research has proposed that the architecture and tectonic evolution of the ophiolite in the UAE differs from in Oman. In Chapter 2, I test this hypothesis by integrating new geological mapping and field observations with previously published maps of the ophiolite in the UAE. My results indicate that the ophiolite is gently folded, but otherwise largely intact. I demonstrate that the architecture of the ophi- olite in the UAE is not significantly different from in Oman. Thus, there is no basis for a different tectonic evolution as recently proposed. (2) Observations from exper- iments and small-scale natural shear zones indicate that volumetrically-minor phases can control strain localization. In Chapter 3, I test the hypothesis that minor phases control strain-localisation at plate boundaries. To do so, I analyzed peridotites from the base of the ophiolite, a palaeosubduction interface. My results demonstrate that minor phases limited olivine grain growth, which led to rheological weakening. (3) The mechanisms by which metamorphic soles detached from the downgoing slab and accreted to the hanging-wall mantle is unclear. In Chapter 4, I examine a transect across the metamorphic sole in the UAE. My results reveal that granulite formation was more extensive than is typically considered. I propose that granulite formation resulted in rheological strengthening, which caused the subduction interface to migrate into the downgoing slab and accrete the metamorphic sole.

L'ophiolite d'Oman permet d'étudier un morceau de lithosphère océanique formé à une dorsale rapide et échoué sur le continent. La structure générale permet de reconnaître la présence de plusieurs diapirs dont certains alimentaient la dorsale d'origine, partiellement obductée avec l'ophiolite. Le diapir de Maqsad est l'exemple type d'un diapir à l'axe. Les linéations verticales couvrent 100 km2 et tournent à l'horizontale au sein d'une zone de transition riche en magma, épaisse de 500 m, juste sous le Moho. Un flux forcé et radial est issu du diapir. Un calcul prédit que ce flux divergent devient passif à 10 km du diapir, comme le suggèrent nos données de terrain. Le diapir de Nakhl a des caractères similaires, tandis que le diapir de Mansah, éloigné de l'axe de la paleodorsale, est bordé par des zones de cisaillement et des injections de diabase qui attestent qu'il poinçonnait une lithosphère refroidie. Dans une seconde partie, les traces de magma dans les péridotites sont étudiées par analyse d'image sur des lames minces. On montre que les poches de liquide ont un allongement préférentiellement parallèle à la linéation et proportionnel à la force de la fabrique cristallographique de l'olivine. Ces données sont utilisées pour calculer les propriétés sismiques des échantillons. Nos résultats suggèrent que la quantité de liquide au Moho de la dorsale Est Pacifique peut être sous estimée à cause de l'anisotropie des roches. Enfin, une modélisation sismique d'un diapir, à partir de nos données structurales et des vitesses sismiques calculées permet de comparer les données d'Oman et de l'EPR.

Dans des conditions naturelles d'exposition, les roches présentent divers types d'altération modifiant leur composition initiale. En climat tempéré, elles se dégradent pour former une altérite. En milieu désertique, une patine d'altération se développe. Ces deux phénomènes masquent la composition de la roche-mère et induisent une détermination erronée des faciès lors de leur cartographie par télédétection. Pour le Muscadet Nantais et l'ophiolite d'Oman, l'étude des altérations passe par la comparaison des spectres V-IR des surfaces fraîches et altérées. Pour retirer les effets de rugosité de surfaces propres à chaque échelle d'observation (laboratoire, terrain, aéroportée), une nouvelle normalisation des spectres est proposée. L'étude minéralogique des sols de la région nantaise, par spectrométrie et DRX, a permis de définir des limites de détectabilité des roches de la Nappe de Champtoceaux et des faciès de gabbro du Pallet. Ces résultats ont été testés sur une simulation de campagne aéroportée. La cartographie du Massif du Sumail (Oman) est réalisée grâce à l'étude des spectres des différents faciès et validée par des études pétrologiques et MEB. Les séquences mantellaires et crustales de l'ophiolite sont dissociées sur l'image HyMap. Le calcul des mélanges synthétiques à partir des spectres de terrains a permis de quantifier la couverture de chaque lithologie. La combinaison de ces cartes aboutit à une nouvelle carte géologique. Dans la séquence crustale, elle révèle la présence d'un nouveau bloc présentant une abondance anormale en orthopyroxene.

This study explores how tertiary education supports and prepares students to take up a career today. The research question is: How can the preparation for the transition from school to work be streamlined at Ibri College of Technology with reference to globalisation? Classroom-based practices were considered in this case study in Oman, to establish how the objectives of stakeholders can be met in pursuit of their goals, within the set curriculum and culture. The objectives were to: • Interpret and evaluate the respondents' responses to the research-instruments appropriate to existing literature and current employer demands; • explore perceptions of educational activities considering cultural diversity; and • provide guidelines for streamlining the transition. It is concluded from the didactic triangle that the better lecturers are prepared to comply with expectations of the students and curricula, the more positively learner achievement is impacted at college. Continuously updating the curricula embraces global occupational requirements as well as didactic goals. This theory applies equally to all the stakeholders and influences how students eventually manage modern workplace demands. Prioritising structured communication practices alongside EFL and technology as skills, support school to work transitions in tandem with the adolescents' progression towards adulthood. The value of this study lies in its contribution to the body of knowledge on this complicated transition in Oman. The findings and conclusions assist instructors as well as their students whose transition from school to work can subsequently be streamlined. It also sustains economic and social occupational processes, in the Sultanate and globally, now and in the future.