Management strategies for complex sedimentation process: a case study using remote sensing and morpho-dynamics simulation at Damietta Harbour, Nile Delta

ABSTRACT

Human-induced shoreline instability is a widespread issue among the world's Mega Deltas. Out of 120 million tons/year of sediment, 30 million tons/year reached Damietta promontory before the entire operation of Aswan High Dam (AHD), which blocks most of that sediment. This study uses remote sensing techniques to investigate the Land Use Land Cover Changes (LULCC) and the shoreline dynamics around Damietta promontory. In addition, more attention was devoted to the challenges of Damietta Harbour, which regularly suffers from inlet closure using a filed validated morpho-dynamic model addressing sediment transport and erosion problem at the eastern part. The LULCC based Maximum Likelihood approach shows that the developed areas were doubled from 1984 to 2018. Besides, within the Area of Interest (AoI), 8.961 km² were eroded during the period (1984–2000), while 2.7046 km² were eroded during (2000–2018). Change detection technique showed that accretion area was 1.8991 and 2.4909 km² for the periods 1984–2000 and 2000–2018, respectively. Six scenarios were tested to investigate the best combinations of interventions to mitigate the challenge of siltation inside the harbour entrance and the erosion at the eastern side. Morphodynamical results showed that scenario 4 (two groins each 1000 m length at the west side of the western jetty combined with two groins each 500 m length at the east side of the existing eastern jetty of the harbour) has considered the best scenario.

KEYWORDS:

• Damietta harbour
• LULCC
• CMS
• remote sensing
• sedimentation processes
• Nile Delta

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research project No. 266/40, was supported by a grant from the Deanship of Scientific Research, Jouf University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.