Title: Sabkha - Wikipedia
Headings: Sabkha
Sabkha
Contents
Origin and development
The Abu Dhabi Sabkha
Khor lagoon
Dune field
Climate effects
Hydrocarbon reservoirs
See also
References
External links

Content: Flooded dune field in the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park (Brazil). Flooded dune field in the Badain Jaran Desert (China). Climate effects
The climate is one of the main factors in sabkha development. Rainfall in this arid region usually occurs as thunderstorms and averages 4 cm/year. Temperatures can range in excess of 50 °C to as low as 0 °C. Humidity is linked to the wind direction, with humidity as low as 20% in the mornings from off the dry interior and building in the afternoon as a strong, onshore wind prevail. At night, relative humidity of 100% can lead to dense fogs. Water temperatures vary by depth with shallow water as much as 10 °C warmer. These high temperatures drive high rates of evaporation in the Persian Gulf, as much as 124 cm/year leading salinity to increase in the shallow lagoons to as much as 70 ppt. The net rate of evaporation from the sabkha can be as much as an order of magnitude less and has averaged 6 cm for the last 4,000 to 5,000 years.