Paper Title
Boron Contamination Of Groundwater From The Coastal Aquifer In The Gaza Strip, Palestine

Abstract
Five samples of groundwater collected near Khan Yunis City, Gaza Strip, and five samples of groundwater collected from West Bank, Palestine, were analyzed using an Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry method. The analytical results indicated that the groundwater samples collected from the Gaza Strip were highly contaminated compared to those from the West Bank. Groundwater in the Gaza Strip was highly saline in four of the five wells, and not suitable for drinking. The salinization is thought to be due to salt water intrusion into the Coastal Aquifer caused by the over exploitation of groundwater. In addition to salinization, the quality of the groundwater in the Gaza Strip is characterized by boron (B), the concentration of which exceeds the regulated value. The result of the correlation between B and six elements (Na, K, Mg, Ca, Sr, and S) suggests that B contamination is caused by the migration of seawater. Index Terms - Groundwater contamination, Salinization, Boron, Gaza