Morphological patterns of southeastern Mediterranean river mouths: The topographic setting of the beach as a forcing factor

Lichter, Michal; Zviely, Dov; Klein, Micha

doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2010.05.007

Cited by 22 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(29 reference statements)

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“…There is a funnel shaped topographic depression adjacent to the river mouth. The dune toe is either pushed back or not apparent in the immediate vicinity of the mouth (Figure 4b) (for a detailed description see Lichter et al ., 2010). The topographic settings of the Naaman, Hadera, Dalya and Lachish mouths were identified as barrier topography.…”

Section: Results and Interpretationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Beach orientation turns from 28° (Sorek River) to 353° (Naaman River), and the wave induced longshore sand transport rate decreases from a net of 200,000 m 3 year −1 to the north in the Lachish River mouth to almost zero in the Naaman River mouth. Topographical differences adjacent to the mouths are evident as well, as some of the beaches are relatively narrow and evenly sloping whereas others demonstrate a funnel‐like topography (described in detail in Lichter et al ., 2010). The mouths exhibit a dynamic morphology: they are located on sandy beaches allowing their natural migration.…”

Section: Regional Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dynamic morphology of small south‐eastern Mediterranean river mouths: a conceptual model

Lichter

Klein

Zviely

2010

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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River mouths along the Israeli Mediterranean coast are characterized by a dynamic morphology as their channels migrate hundreds of meters along the coast. This study examines the dynamic morphology of seven such river mouths. It offers a conceptual model aimed at generalizing and describing their spatial and temporal morphological patterns, and the environmental factors influencing them.The study methodology comprised a detailed monitoring and mapping by GIS techniques, with quantitative data derived from historic aerial photographs, river discharge records, wave measurements, and a digital elevation model. These data were incorporated into a homogenous database and subsequently applied in the investigation of the morphological patterns of these mouths, and the analysis of their influencing factors.River mouths in this study occur in two distinctive topographic settings. In one setting (here termed barrier topography) the river mouth is deflected alongshore by a sandy barrier. In the second setting (termed funnel topography) the river mouth is confined to a funnel-shaped topographic depression perpendicular to the coast. The behavior of river mouths in these two settings is quite distinctive. Barrier mouths usually migrate over larger distances, as they tend to deflect along a sand barrier and establish semi-permanent channels along the dune toe. This enables the wide range migration of semi-permanent channels over decades. Funnel topography mouths deflect over shorter distances and they rapidly migrate within the funnel boundaries.This study concludes that the topographic setting of the beach, a constant element in the temporal scale of this study, is the primary influencing factor on the morphology of the mouths studied. The influence of other factors on the morphology of these mouths differs in space and time and depends on the topographic settings.

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Section: Results and Interpretationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Regional Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamic morphology of small south‐eastern Mediterranean river mouths: a conceptual model

Lichter

Klein

Zviely

2010

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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“…The Israeli coastline is affected by longshore drift which transports sand from the Nile delta to the south, northward as far Haifa bay. At the estuary mouth of the Alexander, there is a sandbar (sometimes composed of sand and gravel) which controls the flow of the Alexander stream to the sea (Lichter et al, 2010).…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The estuary mouth is usually less than 10 m wide and 0.5 m deep. However, its structure can be dynamic as dictated by sea and fresh water currents and waves (Lichter et al, 2010). Usually, the estuary morphology is constant during summer (aside from water level fluctuations of up to 1 m, see below) but during winter, stormwater runoff events can cause significant bathymetric changes.…”

Section: Bathymetrymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At the Alexander micro-estuary mouth, a sandbar is commonly formed under the combined effect of river flow and sea waves. The sandbar limits water exchange between the estuary and the open sea (Lichter et al, 2010). Sandbars at the mouth of estuaries in semi-arid climate zones have been described, but rarely thoroughly studied, in Australia, South America, and South Africa (Barton and Sherwood, 2004;Gale et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sandbar Breaches Control of the Biogeochemistry of a Micro-Estuary

et al. 2019

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Micro-estuaries in semi-arid areas, despite their small size (shallow depth of a few meters, length of a few kilometers, and a surface area of less than 1 km 2 ) are important providers of ecosystem services. Despite their high abundance, tendency to suffer from eutrophication and vulnerability to other anthropogenic impacts, such systems are among the least studied water bodies in the world. In low tidal amplitude regions, micro-estuaries often have limited rate of sea-river water exchange, somewhat similar to fjord circulation, caused by a shallow sandbar forming at the coastline. The longterm study, we report here was inspired by the idea that, due to their small size and low discharges regime, relatively small interventions can have large effects on micro-estuaries. We used a stationary array of sensors and detailed monthly water sampling to characterize the Alexander estuary, a typical micro-estuary in the S.E. Mediterranean, and to identify the main stress factors in this aquatic ecosystem. The Alexander micro-estuary is stratified throughout the year with median bottom salinity of 18 PSU. Prolonged periods of hypoxia were identified as the main stress factor. Those were alleviated by breaching of the sandbar at the estuary mouth by sea-waves or stormwater runoff events (mostly during winter) that flush the anoxic bottom water. Analysis of naturally occurring sandbar breaches, and an artificial breach experiment indicate that the current oxygen consumption rate of the Alexander micro-estuary is too high to consider sandbar breaches as a remedy for the anoxia. Nevertheless, it demonstrates and provides the tools to assess the feasibility of small-scale interventions to control micro-estuaries hydrology and biogeochemistry.

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Vegetation cover influence on the morphology and migration patterns of river mouths

Lichter

Klein

2012

J Coast Conserv

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Morphological patterns of southeastern Mediterranean river mouths: The topographic setting of the beach as a forcing factor

Cited by 22 publications

References 26 publications

Dynamic morphology of small south‐eastern Mediterranean river mouths: a conceptual model

Dynamic morphology of small south‐eastern Mediterranean river mouths: a conceptual model

Sandbar Breaches Control of the Biogeochemistry of a Micro-Estuary

Vegetation cover influence on the morphology and migration patterns of river mouths

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