Geopotential and Ecology

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The southern part of the Western Desert of Egypt is located in the world's largest hyperarid area. From 1981 to 1987, the Joint Research Project “Geoscientific Problems in Arid and Semiarid Areas” (SFB 69) conducted fundamental research in Egypt, supported by various German institutions and the General Petroleum Company and Geological Survey of Egypt. The research focused on sedimentary basins, groundwater, mineral resources, climate, plant ecology, and soil development for agricultural suitability. A key subproject involved creating innovative maps using remote sensing data, culminating in the completion of an 80-sheet topographic inventory and a geological map of Egypt. The project produced a digital satellite image mosaic from Landsat-MSS data, enabling the creation of medium and small-scale thematic maps. Upon concluding its first phase in Egypt in 1987, SFB 69 shifted to Sudan and Somalia, leading to the idea of compiling multidisciplinary results into thematic maps related to the geopotential and ecology of southwestern Egypt. The resulting series of six “Geopotential and Ecological Maps” documents this arid region at a 1:1,000,000 scale, covering topography, lithology, hydrogeology, soil associations, land suitability, and vegetation. The maps, along with background information, provide a comprehensive environmental overview and form a basis for future environmental GIS applications.