Mohamed Sultan
- Home
- About Us
- Interested in Geology?
- Undergraduate Programs
- Graduate Programs
- How to Apply
- Courses
- Hydro Field Course
- Geologic Mapping Courses
- Scholarships
- Giving
- Seminar Series & Thesis Defense Schedule
- People
- Alumni
- Advisory Council
- Research
- MGRRE
- Student Organizations
- Student Achievements
- Job Opportunities
- Resources
- Newsletter
- History
- Our Donors
- Contact Us
Mohamed Sultan
 |
Professor and Chair Environmental Sciences and Remote Sensing 1187 Rood Hall (269) 387-5487 FAX (269) 387-5513 |
Education
Ph.D. 1984 (Geochemistry) Washington University in St. Louis
B.A. 1978 (Stratigraphy) Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
B.Sc. 1974 (Geology) Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
Courses Taught
GEOS 5210 - Remote Sensing Applications in Geological and Environmental Sciences
GEOS 5350 - GIS Applications in Geological and Environmental Sciences
Research
Environmental Sciences and Remote Sensing
I apply an interdisciplinary research approach that takes advantage of available tools and disciplines (e.g., remote sensing, GIS, geochemistry, geochronology, hydrology, surface runoff and groundwater flow modeling, field geology, etc.) to address a wide range of complex geological and environmental problems. Ongoing projects address the potential influences of natural processes, global change, and regional human activities on the water and carbon cycles and ecosystems. For example, I am developing and applying an integrated systems approach to assess, monitor, and model the recent and future impacts of changes in landscape and land cover associated with major agricultural development projects in the Mesopotamian marshes and human settlement in Cape Cod. Additional ongoing projects include assessment of alternative renewable groundwater resources in arid and semi-arid areas in Egypt (Eastern Desert and Sinai) and Pakistan, and modeling storage variability in marshlands. Geoinformatics is an area that is becoming of increasing importance to geologists. I am involved in the development of an interdisciplinary GIS database as a tool for studying environmental, hydrologic, and tectonic problems. To expand our research activities in the general area of environmental sciences, we established a direct downlink and processing system for remote sensing data. Specifically, we are acquiring real-time access to the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) L-band sensor data transmitted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellites, as well as the Orbview-2 satellite that carries the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) instrument in real time. This added capability facilitates new environmental research and application activities in aquatic optics, forest-fire monitoring, and atmospheric sciences.
Ongoing Projects
- Assessment and Development of Alternative Water Resources in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt (NATO)
- Renewable Groundwater Resources in Sinai (NSF International Program)
- Assessment and Development of Renewable Groundwater Resources in the Quetta Valley, Pakistan (USAID)
- Mars Exploration Public Engagement Program (JPL)
- A web-based GIS for Egypt's Geological datasets (NSF)
- Monitoring and Event Response for Harmful Algal Blooms - MERHAB (NOAA)
- The Mesopotamian Marshes from Disintegration to Restoration (NSF)
- The Relation Between 20th Century Dune Migration and Wetland Formation at Cape Cod National Sea Shore, MA (US National Park Service)
- Integration of GRACE Data with Inferences from Hydrologic Models, Geochemical Data, and Field Data for a Better Understanding of the Time-Dependent Water Storage Variability in Large-Scale Aquifers: Case Studies from Northern Africa (NASA Science Misson Directorate)
Recent Publications
Sultan, M., Wagdy, A., Manocha, N., Sauck, W., Abdel Gelil, K., Youssef, A.F., Becker, R., Milewski, A., Jones, C., 2008, An Integrated Approach for Identifying Aquifers in Transcurrent Fault Systems: The Najd Shear System of the Arabian Nubian Shield, J Hydrol., v. 349(3-4), pp 475-488. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2007.11
Sultan, M., Yan, E., Sturchio, N., Wagdy, A, Abdel Gelil, K., Manocha, N., Becker, R., and Milewski, A., 2007, Natural Discharge: A Key to Sustainable Utilization of Fossil Groundwater, J Hydrol., v. 335, p. 25-36. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2006.10.034
Becker, R., Sultan, M., Boyer, G., and Konopko, E., 2006, Mapping Variations Of Algal Blooms In The Lower Great Lakes, Great Lakes Research Review, v.7, pp. 14-17.
Khan, S.D., Flower, M.F.J, Sultan, M.I., and Sandvol, E., 2005, Introduction to TETHYS - an interdisciplinary GIS database for studying continental collision, Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, v. 26, iss. 6, pp. 613-625.
Patterson L.J., Sturchio N.C., Kennedy B.M., van Soest M.C., Sultan M.I., Lu Z.T., Lehmann B.E., Purtschert R., El Kaliouby B., Dawood Y., and Abdallah A.M, 2005, Cosmogenic, radiogenic, and stable isotopic constraints on groundwater residence time in the Nubian Aquifer, Western Desert of Egypt, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst . 6(1), Q01005, doi:10.1029/2004GC000779.
Sturchio, N.C., Du, X., Purtschert, R., Lehmann, B. E., Sultan, M., Patterson, L.J., Lu, Z.-T., Müller, P., Bigler, T., Bailey, K., O'Connor, T.P., Young, L., Lorenzo, R., Becker, R., El Alfy, Z., El Kaliouby, B., Dawood, Y., and Abdallah, A.M.A., 2004, One million year old groundwater in the Sahara revealed by krypton-81 and chlorine-36, Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 31, No. 5.
Sultan, M., Becker, R., Al-Dousari, A., Al-Ghadban, A.N., Bufano, E., 2003, Water, Agriculture and Land Cover: Lessons for the Postwar Era. Geotimes, vol. 48, no. 10, pp. 22-24.
Gheith, H., and Sultan, M., 2002, Construction of a hydrology model for estimating wadi runoff and groundwater recharge in the Eastern Desert, Egypt, Journal of Hydrology, v. 263, pp. 36-55.
Kim, J., and Sultan, M. 2002, Assessment of the long-term hydrologic impacts of Lake Nasser and related irrigation projects in southwestern Egypt, Journal of Hydrology, v. 262, pp. 68-83.