Change detection of the coastal zone east of the Nile Delta using remote sensing

Abstract

The coastal zone of the Nile Delta is a promising area for energy resources and industrial activities. It also contains important wetland ecosystems. This coastal area witnessed several changes during the last century. A set of four satellite images from the multi-spectral scanner (MSS), thematic mapper (TM) and Systeme Pour l'Observation de la Terre (SPOT) sensors were utilized in order to estimate the spatio-temporal changes that occurred in the coastal zone between Damietta Nile branch and PortSaid between 1973 and 2007. Image processing applied in this study included geometric rectification; atmospheric correction; on-screen shoreline digitizing of the 1973 (MSS) and 2007 (SPOT) images for tracking the shoreline position between Damietta promontory and Port-Said; and water index approach for quantifying Manzala lagoon surface area change using 1973 (MSS), 1984 (TM) and 2003 (TM) images. Results showed that coastal erosion was severe near Damietta promontory and decreased eastward, however, accretion was observed near Port-Said. About 50% of the coastal strip was under erosion and 13% was under accretion. In addition, a remarkable decline (34.5%) of the Manzala lagoon surface area was estimated. These changes were attributed mainly to the control of the River Nile flooding and the land use change by anthropogenic activities.

Physicochemical properties of Manzala Lake, Egypt

“…Significant positive correlations (0.01 < P < 0.05) were found between the parameters nitrite vs. PO 4 [5,18]. They attributed this shrinking to the reclamation activities and to the construction of the coastal highway.…”

Vulnerability of the Nile Delta to sea level rise: an assessment using remote sensing

“…El Banna andFrihy (2009) observed a longshore pattern of erosion along the delta coast. El-Asmar and Hereher (2010) recorded significant changes on the area of the largest wetland of the Nile Delta, Lake Manzala, due to drying for agricultural expansion. The Nile Delta, which occupies an area of 20,000 km 2 , is generally flat; its apex at Cairo (160 km upstream) lies at an elevation of þ18 m (Sestini 1992).…”

Concerning the possibilities of successional changes revealing in anthropogenically transformed ecosystems on the base of remote sensing and ground-based survey data integration

“…The Ust-Soksky (Soksky, or Western) quarry is located on the northern macroslope of the western part of the Sokoliye Mountains, a few kilometers from the confluence of the river Sock in the Volga river (Saratov reservoir), in the Krasnoglinsky district of the Samara city (reference plots [8][9][10][11].…”

“…As for our country, the practice of use time series images in the analysis of changes already finds its application in the monitoring of saline lands, technogenically violated forests, wetlands [8][9][10]. The experience of such researches abroad is also quite rich (see, for example, [11][12][13][14][15]). …”