Beach Nourishment Alternatives for Mitigating Erosion of Ancient Coastal Sites on the Mediterranean Coast of Israel

Abstract

Since 2011, beach nourishment has become the preferred solution for mitigating coastal erosion along the Mediterranean coast of Israel, as it is considered “soft” and environmentally friendly. However, using fine sand for nourishment in Israel without supporting measures is problematic due to the high wave energy and strong longshore currents in the littoral zone that tend to drift the sand away. This would require ongoing, multiyear, costly, and never-ending maintenance. In the present study, we analyzed sand and pebble alternatives for nourishment of the eroded beach in front of Tel Ashkelon, an important coastal archaeological site in southern Israel that suffers from severe erosion. Based on Pranzini et al. (2018), we analyzed the alternatives, evaluated their cost and efficiency, and assessed their potential environmental impacts. The study concluded that for protecting the southern part of Tel Ashkelon beach, pebble nourishment is the optimal solution, mainly regarding durability and cost. Using this material for nourishment will better absorb the storm wave impact and protect the foot of the archaeological Tel from erosion, and require lower maintenance cost than using finer sand nourishment.

The impact of coastal erosion on the archaeology of the Cyrenaican coast of Eastern Libya

“…Accelerated erosion is regarded as a global problem for coastal archaeology, related to both human action (e.g. sand mining, port development) and climate change [ 99 ] and there are examples of its destructive capacity elsewhere in the Eastern Mediterranean, such as southwest Cyprus [ 70 ], Israel [ 108 , 109 ] and Gaza [ 110 ]. The urgency of the situation, with sites at risk now, rather than projected to be at risk by the mid- or end-century, requires development of detailed management and mitigation plans sooner rather than later.…”

Coastal Archaeology and Climate Change in the Middle East and North Africa

“…These could include, for example, local regulation against destructive sand mining or more active consideration of the wider impacts of coastal hardening (e.g. Bitan et al 2020). To be fully cognisant of archaeological management requirements, this necessitates maritime heritage to be integrated within wider coastal and marine management policies, something which is not standard practice, and which has been proposed in the context of Marine Protected Areas (Breen et al 2021).…”