Environmentally- Friendly Proposals for Coastal Stability at Rosetta Promontory, Nile Delta

Abstract

The coastal zone of Nile Delta Coast is a dynamic system which was in equilibrium or experienced huge amounts of sediment transported with the water discharges transfer from Nile branches to the Mediterranean Sea. A remarkable decrease in the sediment discharges arises with the construction of barrages, low Aswan dam, and Aswan High Dam south of the Nile river at beginning of the 20th century which trapped almost all the flood sediments behind. Consequently, the coastal zone has suffered from shoreline erosion, particularly at Rosetta, El Burullus, and Damietta. Not only erosion is the main challenge facing this coastal zones, but also, siltation inside the inlets discharge to the sea.A depth-averaged model has been used after calibration and validation, to study morphological changes around the nourishment area at Rosetta promontory, and testing the validity of some alternatives proposed to mitigate the outlet problems. Among these alternatives: diversion of side channel from the sea to the Nile River, and finally, the sand motor technique.The aim of this paper is to test different proposed alternatives and analyze it in terms of morph-dynamic processes to reach an applicable solution for the instability of the promontory.