Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Over the past 150 years, the Nile delta has thus changed from a constructive, wave-dominated
delta that had formed over the past 7000 years, to an erosive coastal plain (Stanley & Warne
1998). This has been chiefly caused by a negative sediment budget that is insufficient to main-
tain the relative height of the delta surface following subsidence. With increasing development
and population growth, including the construction of a new road along the seaward margins of
the delta to open up less accessible areas for development (Frihy 1996), delta degradation is
likely to continue, with increased subsidence and greater risk of marine inundation and flooding.
Furthermore, contamination of groundwater is likely to increase and to move further inland.
The future is, therefore, bleak. The only way that the Nile can regain its role as a functioning
delta is to reinstate water flow and sediment supply. In reality, this is not likely and will result in
continued shoreline erosion and land subsidence.
Relevant reading
Ahmed, M.H. (2002) Multi-temporal conflict of the Nile delta coastal changes, Egypt.
Proceedings of the
Conference Littoral 2002: the Changing Coast
, Porto. Eurocoast / EUCC Portugal 2002.
Badr, A.A. & Lofty, M.F. (1999) Tracing beach sand movement using flourescent quartz along the Nile delta
promontories, Egypt.
Journal of Coastal Research
15
, 261-5.
Bird, E.C.F. (1985)
Coastline Changes: a Global Review
. Wiley, Chichester.
Carter, R.W.G. (1988)
Coastal Environments
. Academic Press, London.
Chesworth, P.M. (1990) The history of water use in Sudan and Egypt. In:
The Nile
(Eds P.P. Howell &
J.A. Allan), pp. 65-79. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
El-Asmar, H.M. & White, K. (2002) Changes in coastal sediment transport processes due to construction of
New Damietta Harbour, Nile Delta, Egypt.
Coastal Engineering
46
, 127-38.
El-Fishawi, N.M. (1994) Relative changes in sea level from tide gauge records at Burullus, central part of the
Nile Delta coast.
INQUA MBSS Newsletter
16
, 53 - 61.
Fahim, H.M. (1981)
Dams, People and Development: the Aswan High Dam Case.
Pergammon, Oxford.
Frihy, O.E. (1996) Some proposals for coastal management of the Nile delta coast.
Ocean and Coastal
Management
30
(1), 43 -59.
Frihy, O.E., Debes, A.D. & El-Sayed, W.R. (2002) Processes reshaping the Nile delta promontories of Egypt:
pre- and post-protection.
Geomorphology
53
, 263 -79.
McManus, J. (2002) Deltaic responses to changes in river regimes.
Marine Chemistry
79
, 155-70.
Rashad, S.M. & Ismail, M.A. (2000) Environmental impact assessment of hydro-power in Egypt.
Applied
Energy
65
, 285-302.
Stanley, D.J. & Warne, A.G. (1998) Nile delta in its destructive phase.
Journal of Coastal Research
14
(3),
794 - 825.
Stanley, D.J. & Wingerath, J.G. (1996) Nile sediment dispersal altered by the Aswan High Dam: the kaolinite
trace.
Marine Geology
133
, 1-9.
White, K. & El-Asmar, H.M. (1999) Monitoring changing position of coastlines using thematic mapper
imagery, an example from the Nile Delta.
Geomorphology
29
, 93 -105.
of power generation, or for amenity uses. Their
impact, however, is just as severe. By reducing
the mixing of fresh and salt water, barrages can
affect the salinity structure of the estuary, such
as occurred at the Rance tidal power station
in France (Shaw 1995). Sediment retention may
also increase upstream of the barrage, as it
would in a dam reservoir, such that the sediment
budget may be affected downstream. The exact
nature of this impact will depend on whether
the estuary is ebb or flood dominant and thus
whether the prime sediment source was land-
based or marine (see section 7.2.2). Changes
in water movement and reduction of fresh-
water flow may also cause contaminant levels to
change in response to water storage upstream of
