Stars and STEM Stories
GLOBE Oman: Students Learn the Importance of Omani Aflaj
Omani aflaj are considered one of the most important water resources in the country. Aflaj are traditional Omani water canals, used since around 500 CE, which take underground water sources and channel the water through canals to agricultural lands. GLOBE students from the Saeed bin Nasser Al Kindi School have been using GLOBE protocols monthly at the aflaj to obtain notes on water temperature and quality, which they upload to GLOBE’s database. Their intention is to continue to collect data and compare current data with previously uploaded data to learn about environmental changes that may cause problems for the aflaj in the future.
Aflaj irrigation systems in Oman World Heritage Site in Nizwa
The observations are collected from a water channel near the school but are collected at different times of day because the water channel’s location requires transporting students.
Learn more about GLOBE Oman.
Image Source: Ljuba brank, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons