DOCSLIB.ORG

3 Coastal Processes at Bardawil Lagoon

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
3 Coastal Processes at Bardawil Lagoon Master’s Dissertation TVVR 08/5010 Hydrodynamic modelling and estimation of exchange rates for Bardawil Lagoon, Egypt. An investigation of governing forces and physical processes using numerical models. ___________________________________________________________________ Jonas Linnersund Erik Mårtensson Division of Water Resources Engineering Department of Building and Environmental Technology Lund Institute of Technology Lund University Division of Water Resources Engineering ISRN LUTVDG/TVVR-08/5010+88p ISSN-1101-9824 Hydrodynamic modelling and estimation of exchange rates for Bardawil Lagoon, Egypt. An investigation of governing forces and physical processes using numerical models. Jonas Linnersund Erik Mårtensson Supervisor 1 Magnus Larson Division of Water Resources Engineering Department of Building and Environmental Technology Lund Institute of Technology Lund University November 2008 Printed in Sweden 1 Professor, Division of Water Resources Engineering, Lund Institute of Technology i ii Lund University Faculty of Engineering, LTH Departments of Earth and Water Engineering This study has been carried out within the framework of the Minor Field Studies (MFS) Scholarship Programme, which is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida. The MFS Scholarship Programme offers Swedish university students an opportunity to carry out two months’ field work in a developing country resulting in a graduation thesis work, a Master’s dissertation or a similar in-depth study. These studies are primarily conducted within subject areas that are important from an international development perspective and in a country supported by Swedish international development assistance. The main purpose of the MFS Programme is to enhance Swedish university students’ knowledge and understanding of developing countries and their problems. An MFS should provide the student with initial experience of conditions in such a country. A further purpose is to widen the human resource base for recruitment into international co-operation. Further information can be reached at the following internet address: http://www.tg.lth.se , click at “MFS-stipendier”. The responsibility for the accuracy of the information presented in this MFS report rests entirely with the authors and their supervisors. Gerhard Barmen Local MFS Programme Officer Postadress Box 118, 221 00 Lund Besöksadress John Ericssons väg 1Telefon dir 046-222 9657, växel 046-222 00 00 Telefax 046-2229127 E-post [email protected] iii Hydrodynamic modelling and estimation of exchange rates for Bardawil Lagoon, Egypt. Abstract Bardawil Lagoon, a natural lagoon located on the northern coast of the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, there are three inlets of which two are man-made connecting the lagoon with the Mediterranean Sea. The inlets are subjected to changes in morphology, due to sediment transport, over time and this may lead to degrees of closure of either inlet. The sediment transport is governed by longshore currents and the sediments originate from the eroding Nile delta. Inlet closure adversely affects the lagoon water quality which will have a detrimental effect on the ecosystem. In this dissertation the dominant coastal processes governing the water exchange between the lagoon and the Mediterranean are studied. Finite element conceptual computer models are applied to simulate and investigate the hydrodynamics of the inlets and the lagoon itself. Two types of models are applied within the Surface Modelling System (SMS) software; ADCIRC, a regional tidal model and CMS-Flow, a local circulation model. In order to estimate the exchange rate of the lagoon two methods are utilized; based on net intertidal volume and cross sectional flow through the inlets. The methods show a high degree of correlation. The renewal time was estimated to 9.0 days, which is equivalent to a daily replaced volume of 53·106 m3. Tidal forcing governs the water exchange while wind is responsible for the internal circulation. Keywords: ADCIRC, Bardawil Lagoon, CMS-Flow, finite element, internal circulation, net intertidal volume, renewal time, salt balance, sediment transport, tide, water balance, wind iv Hydrodynamic modelling and estimation of exchange rates for Bardawil Lagoon, Egypt. Preface This Master’s Dissertation report is the result of a combined field study and computer modelling of the hydrodynamics of Bardawil Lagoon, Egypt. The project was carried out in order to gain a further understanding of the coastal processes affecting the inlets and how manage them to preserve the clean environment and lagoon water quality. The project was a joint venture between Lund University, Division of Water Resources Engineering and Suez Canal University. Despite persistent attempts to obtain permission to visit the lagoon and conduct field measurements we failed to receive a permit. However, thanks to Coastal Research Institute in Alexandria, we managed to acquire necessary measurements from earlier studies. Acknowledgements We would like to express our gratitude to SIDA, Ångpanneföreningen's Foundation for Research and Development and Swedish Association of Graduate Engineers for financial support of our Master’s Dissertation which includes a two month field study in Egypt. Dr. Yasser Hamed at Suez Canal University, Port Said, for practical help in Port Said and the endless efforts in trying to obtain permission to visit the site. Prof. Ibrahim El-Shinnawy and Dr. Madhat Mohamed at Coastal Research Institute (CoRI) in Alexandria, for their hospitality and most importantly providing invaluable field data. Prof. Hans Hanson at the Division of Water Resources Engineering, Lund, and Dr. Ahmed Ahmed at Hydraulics Research Institute, Cairo, for guidance on theory and computer modelling. AB Teknoplan in Stockholm for digitizing field data and maps obtained in Egypt. Special thanks to Prof. Omran Frihy for his continuous interest in our work and its progress and providing us with interesting ideas throughout our stay in Egypt. During the course of constructing the 2D-finite element models within the Surface Modelling System software, several difficulties arose and without the help and technical support from both Adele Buttolph at Coastal Analysis, LLC Oregon, and Mitchell Brown at US Army Corps of Engineers the modelling would have been impossible. Also special thanks to US Army Corps of Engineers for providing us with licence to the software suite and the models. Finally our deepest appreciation to our supervisor Prof. Magnus Larson at the Division of Water Resources Engineering, Lund, for extraordinary expertise and assistance throughout the dissertation. v Hydrodynamic modelling and estimation of exchange rates for Bardawil Lagoon, Egypt. Table of contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................ iv Preface........................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................... v 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Objectives ..................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Procedure ...................................................................................................... 2 2 Area description .................................................................................................... 5 2.1 Physical characteristics ................................................................................. 5 2.2 Climate .......................................................................................................... 7 2.3 Human activities ........................................................................................... 8 3 Coastal Processes at Bardawil Lagoon ................................................................. 9 3.1 Wind climate ................................................................................................. 9 3.2 Wave climate............................................................................................... 11 3.3 Water level fluctuations .............................................................................. 12 3.4 Sediment transport patterns ......................................................................... 13 3.5 Inlet morphology changes ........................................................................... 15 4 Physical processes in lagoons ............................................................................. 19 4.1 Water circulation ......................................................................................... 19 4.1.1 Water balance ...................................................................................... 20 4.1.2 Lagoon flushing .................................................................................. 21 4.1.3 Hydraulic-flushing replacement time .................................................. 23 4.1.4 Renewal time ....................................................................................... 23 4.2 Salt balance ................................................................................................. 24 4.2.1 Box model with
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Spatio-Temporal Variations of Zooplankton Community in the Hypersaline Lagoon of Bardawil, North Sinai, Egypt
    Spatio-temporal variations of zooplankton community in the hypersaline lagoon of Bardawil, North Sinai, Egypt Item Type Journal Contribution Authors Mageed, A.A.A. Citation Egyptian journal of aquatic research, 32(1). p. 168-183 Publisher National Institute of Oceanograhy and Fisheries (NIOF) Download date 01/10/2021 05:54:11 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/1456 EGYPTIAN JOURNAL OF AQUATIC RESEARCH 1687-4285 VOL. 32 NO. 1, 2006: 168-183. SPATIO-TEMPORAL VARIATIONS OF ZOOPLANKTON COMMUNITY IN THE HYPERSALINE LAGOON OF BARDAWIL, NORTH SINAI – EGYPT ADEL ALI A. MAGEED National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, 101 Kasr Al Ainy St., Cairo Egypt E. mail: [email protected] Key words: Bardawil, hypersaline lagoon, zooplankton, salinity ABSTRACT Bardawil Lagoon is a shallow oligotrophic hypersaline lake, located at the northern periphery of Sinai peninsula-Egypt, connected to SE Mediterranean Sea through two main openings known as Boughazes. Distribution of zooplankton in Bardawil Lagoon during 2004 was studied, not only in space and time but also with reference to species assemblages and environmental factors. Copepoda, Protozoa, and Mollusca were dominating the lagoon zooplankton community during the period of study with 58 identified forma. Zooplankton stock peaked during August and October with severe depletion in spring. Spatially, the maximum density occurred near the sea opening I. The lowest density and species richness were noticed at stations with high salinity. The community composition was highly changed with time series. Twenty new taxa were recorded during the study, whereas thirty three taxa disappeared from the lagoon along twenty years 1. INTRODUCTION rises creating the danger of drying up of the lagoon and subsequent loss of its biological Bardawil Lagoon is a large hypersaline and economic value.
    [Show full text]
  • Rapid Cultural Inventories of Wetlands in Arab States Including Ramsar Sites and World Heritage Properties
    Rapid cultural inventories of wetlands in Arab states including Ramsar Sites and World Heritage Properties Building greater understanding of cultural values and practices as a contribution to conservation success Tarek Abulhawa – Lead Author Tricia Cummings – Research and Data Analysis Supported by: May 2017 Acknowledgements The report team expresses their utmost appreciation to Ms. Mariam Ali from the Ramsar Secretariat and Ms. Haifaa Abdulhalim from the Tabe’a Programme (IUCN’s programme in partnership with ARC-WH) for their guidance and support on the preparation of this regional assessment. Special gratitude is extended to all the national focal points from the target countries and sites as well as international experts and colleagues from the Ramsar and IUCN networks for their valuable contributions and reviews of assignment reports drafts. Finally, the team wants to take the opportunity to thank all the peoples of the wetlands in the Arab states for their long established commitment to the protection of their wetlands through their cultural values, traditional knowledge and sustainable practices for the benefit of future generations. Cover: Traditional felucca fishing boat, Tunisia. DGF Tunisa Contents Executive summary . 4 Introduction . 9 Methodology . 13 Assessment Results . 21 Algeria . 23 La Vallée d’Iherir . 24 Oasis de Tamantit et Sid Ahmed Timmi. 27 Réserve Intégrale du Lac Tonga . 32 Egypt . 35 Lake Bardawil . 36 Lake Burullus . 41 Wadi El Rayan Protected Area . 44 Iraq . 49 Central Marshes . 52 Hammar Marshes . 55 Hawizeh Marshes . 58 Mauritania . 63 Lac Gabou et le réseau hydrographique du Plateau du Tagant . 64 Parc National du Banc d’Arguin . 67 Parc National du Diawling .
    [Show full text]
  • Algal Diversity of the Mediterranean Lakes in Egypt
    International Conference on Advances in Agricultural, Biological & Environmental Sciences (AABES-2015) July 22-23, 2015 London(UK) Algal Diversity of the Mediterranean Lakes in Egypt Hanan M. Khairy, Kamal H. Shaltout, Mostafa M. El-Sheekh, and Dorea I. Eassa southern shorelines. In addition, large parts of the lakes are Abstract— The five Mediterranean Lakes of Egypt (Mariut, infested with aquatic vegetation which reduces the open water Edku, Manzala, Burullus and Bardawil) are of global importance as to nearly half of their total area. Pollution of the aquatic they are internationally important sites for wintering of the environment by inorganic chemicals has been considered a migrating birds, providing valuable habitat for them and they are an major threat to the aquatic organisms including fishes. The important natural resource for fish production in Egypt. The present agricultural drainage water containing pesticides, fertilizers, study aims to collect the available data on phytoplankton effluents of industrial activities, in addition to sewage populations and environmental characters (physico-chemical characters) of these five lakes in order to analyze their species effluents supply the water bodies and sediments that include composition, diversity, behavior and abundance of the common with huge quantities of inorganic anions and heavy metals. species that characterizing each lake. The present phytoplankton list All these activities will not only cause the loss of the comprised 867 species related to 9 algal divisions, 102 families and important habitats, but will also create new ecosystems 203 genera. Bacillarophyta was the most dominant group, while (Shaltout and Khalil 2005). The levels of pollution in these Cryptophyta, Rhodophyta and Phaeophyta were rarely recorded and lakes are Mariut > Manzalah > Edku > Burollus > Bardawil represented by only one species.
    [Show full text]
  • Armenian Gulls Larus Armenicus in Egypt, 1989/90, with Notes on the Winter Distribution of the Large Gulls
    A vocetta N° 16: 89-92 (1992) Armenian Gulls Larus armenicus in Egypt, 1989/90, with notes on the winter distribution of the large gulls PETER L. MEININGER* and UFFE GJ0L S0RENSEN** * Foundation for Ornithological Research in Egypt, Belfort 7, 4336 JK Middelburg, Netherlands ** Mellegade 21, J t. V., DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark Abstract - During a survey of Egyptian wetlands between December 1989 and late May 1990 significant numbers of Armenian Gulls Larus armenicus were observed. Total winter count was 442, and the species was present until early April , It was found to be relatively common along the Mediterranean coast east of the Damietta branch of the Nile, and in marine habitats of the three lagoons along this coast. Small numbers were seen along the Suez Canal and the Red Sea coast. No Armenian Gulls were found in any of the inland waters. Other large gulls counted in winter included Yellow-Iegged Gulls L. cachinnans (2340), Lesser Black-backed Gulls L. fuscus (120; including the first Egyptian record of L. f. heuglini), and Great Black-headed Gulls L. ichthyaetus (35). Introduction pitfalls, observations made during this project revealed the presence of considerable numbers of The Armenian Gull Larus armenicus is known from Armenian Gulls in Egypt. This paper summarizes a restricted breeding area in high altitude lakes of the observations of Armenian Gulls in Egypt in Armenia (Lake Sevan, Lake Arpa), Iran (Lake 1989/90. In addition some information is presented Uromiyeh), eastern Turkey (Van Gòlu), and at least on the winter distribution of other large gull species. one locality (Tuz Gòlù) in Centrai Anatolia in The systematic position of the Armenian Gull is one Turkey (Suter 1990).
    [Show full text]
  • Ecology of Lake Bardawil: a Preliminary Review
    SJIF IMPACT FACTOR: 4.183 CRDEEP Journals International Journal of Environmental Sciences Mona S. Zaki et. al., Vol. 5 No. 1 ISSN: 2277-1948 International Journal of Environmental Sciences. Vol. 5 No. 1. 2016. Pp. 28-31 ©Copyright by CRDEEP Journals. All Rights Reserved Review Paper Ecology of Lake Bardawil: A Preliminary Review Noor El Deen A. I. E.1., Eissa, I. A. M.2., Mehana S F3., El-Sayed A. B4 and Mona S. Zaki1 1-Hydrobiology Department, National Research Center, Egypt. 2-Fish Diseases and Management, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Seuz Canal University, Egypt. 3-Department of Fisheries National -Institute Of Oceanography, Egypt. 4-Algal Biotechnology Unit, National Research Centre, Egypt. Article history Abstract Received: 21-12-2015 Bardawil lagoon is considered as the cleanest marine water body in Egypt, as well as in the Revised: 25-12-2015 entire Mediterranean region and the vast hyper saline mud flat (known as Sabkhat El-Bardawil), Accepted: 04-01-2016 occupying the eastern fringes of the Lagoon, is the largest in the country. The lagoon is an important wintering and staging area for large numbers of water-birds; consequently it has been Corresponding Author: designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by Bird Life International. Mona S. Zaki Hydrobiology Department, Key words: Bardawil lake, Ecology, North Sinai. National Research Center, Egypt. Introduction With a growing world population and recurrent problems of hunger and malnutrition plaguing many communities, food security is of major societal and international concern. Fishery resources are an important source of proteins, vitamins and micronutrients, particularly for many low-income populations in rural areas, and their sustainable use for future global food security has garnered significant public policy attention.
    [Show full text]
  • The Route of the Exodus, the Location of Mount Sinai, and Related Topics By, Randall Styx
    The Route of the Exodus, the Location of Mount Sinai, and Related Topics By, Randall Styx [November, 2002] Introduction For himself the Christian might consider investigating the locations at which Old Testament events occurred an interesting recreational study, but would hardly deem the subject a major concern. Believing in the verbal inspiration of all Scripture, we accept on faith that what God says in the Bible is true and we need no verification other than the Bible itself. We might not know where all the recorded events took place, but we know that they did truly happen, for Scripture says they did. God does not lie. Furthermore, with regard to the specific locations with which this paper deals, while we are certainly to be impressed with the glory of God shown through his record of the events of the Exodus and Mount Sinai, we are far more concerned with the greater glory of God shown on Calvary. Even with Calvary, what is significant is not precisely where it happened but the fact that it did happen. The God-man Christ, after living a perfect life to our credit died an innocent death in our place, as our substitute, to fulfill God’s law for mankind completely both actively and passively. For the sake of Christ’s life and death, God declared the world justified by raising Jesus from the dead and sent his Holy Spirit by Word and Sacrament to invite and move people by faith to receive justification and its blessings of forgiveness, eternal life, and salvation. This does not mean that Christians consider what happened at Sinai unimportant.
    [Show full text]
  • AVOIDING an EPIC MISTAKE the Case for Continuing the U.S
    THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY n MAY 2020 n PN80 Assaf Orion and Denis Thompson AVOIDING AN EPIC MISTAKE The Case for Continuing the U.S. Mission in Sinai As part of its 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS), the United States is seeking to focus on Great Power competition and withdraw from legacy missions it sees as irrelevant.1 Yet one of the missions under consideration is hardly irrelevant. U.S. Army participation in the Multinational Force & Observers (MFO) in the Sinai Peninsula constitutes a vital part of the 1979 Israel-Egypt peace treaty architecture. While the NDS approach to legacy missions makes sense in principle, U.S. withdrawal from the MFO would be a colossal mistake. Indeed, Israel- Egypt relations are at an all-time high, but rather than showing the diminished importance of peacekeepers, it demonstrates the opposite: their essential role in having reached this summit and in climbing onward. The MFO has been critical in helping the parties across volatile crises through its communication, trust building, and verification roles, and Israel-Egypt relations owe a great deal to these efforts. U.S. participation in the MFO appears to have generated an asymmetrical impact—a very small and increasingly efficient military © 2020 THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ORION AND THOMPSON investment, with burden-sharing partners, has Defense Department leadership, the Army began yielded lasting grand-strategic benefits. U.S. forces planning for serious cuts in 2020 and a total in Sinai are superbly positioned not only to advance withdrawal from the mission by the end of 2021.
    [Show full text]
  • Al Bardawil Lagoon Hydrological Characteristics
    sustainability Article Al Bardawil Lagoon Hydrological Characteristics Ibrahim A. Elshinnawy 1 and Abdulrazak H. Almaliki 2,* 1 National Water Research Center (NWRC), Cairo 11865, Egypt; [email protected] 2 Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: Al Bardawil Lagoon is a very saline lagoon located in North Sinai, Egypt. It is subjected to environmental changes due to the implementation of a mega agricultural project close to its southern border. Accordingly, defining the hydrological characteristics of the lagoon was the objective of the current work to set the hydrological baseline for future changes expected due to ongoing human activities and agricultural developments planned in the lagoon’s vicinity. Historical meteorological data were collected and statistically analyzed to achieve the study objective. In addition, tide action, the lagoon’s bathymetry, and water table fluctuation were studied. Furthermore, groundwater aquifer interaction with the lagoon’s hydrologic system was considered. The study defined the water resources and water losses of the hydrological system of the lagoon. In addition, tide investigations revealed that the tide range is small. Furthermore, the study defined the water budget of the lagoon. Results indicated that the lagoon’s water resources are rainfall with an annual volume of 61.95 million cubic meters (4.4%); the groundwater aquifer contributes about 8.64 million cubic meters (0.6%). Annual evaporation losses are 1155 million cubic meters (82.2%). Salt production requirements represent about 17.8% of the outflow from the lagoon. Results of wind speed and direction data revealed that the dominant regional wind direction is NW and is characterized by magnitudes of about 4.5 m/s Results analysis demonstrated that the inflow of the lagoon is always less than the Citation: Elshinnawy, I.A.; Almaliki, outflow with an annual volume of 1335 million cubic meter supplemented by the Mediterranean Sea A.H.
    [Show full text]
  • Morphological Response to Lake Bardawil Adaptations (2020)
    MORPHOLOGICALRESPONSETOLAKEBARDAWIL ADAPTATIONS A thesis submitted to the Delft University of Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Civil Engineering by Rick van Bentem 4098773 25 March 2020 Rick van Bentem: Morphological response to Lake Bardawil adaptations (2020) The work in this thesis was made in the: Department of Coastal Engineering Faculty of Civil Engineering Delft University of Technology Supervisors: Prof. dr. ir. S.G.J. (Stefan) Aarninkhof TU Delft dr. ir. J. (Judith) Bosboom TU Delft Prof. dr. P.M.J. (Peter) Herman TU Delft ir. J. (Jan) van Overeem TU Delft ir. M.L.E.B. (Ties) van der Hoeven The Weather Makers ir. A.C.S. (Arjan) Mol DEME ABSTRACTBardawil Lagoon is a tidal lagoon situated at the northern coast of the Sinai Penin- sula in Egypt. It’s two artificial inlets, Boughaz 1 in the West and Boughaz 2 in the East, provide a connection to the Mediterranean Sea. They enable the water bod- ies to interact and support fish migration. Currently, regular maintenance dredging works are necessary to keep the two inlets open. The objective of this thesis is to analyse the effect of interventions applied to the two inlets on the lagoon-sea inter- action, with the goal of transforming the present, unstable inlet system towards a stable tidal inlet lagoon by adapting one or both of the present inlets. This study is conducted on three system phases, being Phase 0, Phase 1 and Phase 2. Phase 0 consists of the initial situation without any interventions; Phase 1 contains the effect of adaptations to the Boughaz 1 inlet, and Phase 2 includes adaptations to Boughaz 2 in addition to the changes made in Phase 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Case Study Bardawil Lake, North Sinai, Egypt Amany A
    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC & ENGINEERING RESEARCH, VOLUME 9, ISSUE 7, JULY 2018 ISSN 2229-5518 Sustainable Urban Planning for Protecting Salt Lakes; case Study Bardawil Lake, North Sinai, Egypt Amany A. Ragheb Department of Architectural Engineering, Delta University for Science and Technology, Mansoura, Egypt Abstract— Egypt has a highest priority objective to develop Sinai Peninsula and to create new sustainable and magnetize communities that should ensure a stable, economic and sustainable environment in enormous desert zones. In the last years, a growing public consciousness has developed concerning the quality of urban lakes and special organization plans in several urban areas have been started wide-reaching in order to restore and maintain the recreational value of these water bodies, to improve their educational power, and to avoid sanitary facilities emerge from the decadence of their water quality. To provide a good quality of life for all Lakes communities by enabling development of a well-designed, efficient, healthy, and safely built environment. This increases community identity, allows development to co-exist with the natural environment, and encourages sustainability. The major objective of this research is to maintain spatial development in the Bardawil Lake area in North Sinai, Egypt. This study explores how focusing particularly on Lake Bardawil which represent as a case study to work as a coastal region sustainable development. Its drive to explore the ways in which the lakes, their incomes and their residents have been evaluated, and to analyze how underlying preconceptions, goals and constructions of specialized converse impact such evaluations. The view is that environmental planning is in reality not a rational plan but a process.
    [Show full text]
  • Sand Seas and Dune Fields of Egypt
    geosciences Review Sand Seas and Dune Fields of Egypt Olaf Bubenzer 1,* , Nabil S. Embabi 2 and Mahmoud M. Ashour 2 1 Im Neuenheimer Feld 348, Institute of Geography and Heidelberg Center for the Environment, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany 2 Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams University, Cairo, El-Khalyfa El-Ma’moun Street Abbasya, Egypt; [email protected] (N.S.E.); [email protected] (M.M.A.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 22 August 2019; Accepted: 5 March 2020; Published: 10 March 2020 Abstract: The article reviews the state of knowledge about distribution, sizes, dynamics, and ages of all sand seas (N = 6) and dune fields (N = 10) in Egypt (1,001,450 km2). However, chronological data (Optically Stimulated Luminescence, Thermoluminescence), used in the INQUA (International Union for Quaternary Research) dune database, only exists from three of the five sand seas located in the Western Desert of Egypt. The North Sinai Sand Sea and four of the ten dune fields are located near the Nile Valley, the delta or the coast and therefore changed drastically due to land reclamation during the last decades. Here, but also in the oases, their sands pose a risk for settlements and farmland. Our comprehensive investigations of satellite images and our field measurements show that nearly all terrestrial dune forms can be observed in Egypt. Longitudinal dunes and barchans are dominant. Sand seas cover about 23.8% (with an average sand coverage of 74.8%), dune fields about 4.4% (with an average sand coverage of 31.7%) of its territory.
    [Show full text]
  • Sea Turtles in Lake Bardawil, Egypt - Size Distribution and Population Structure
    The Herpetological Bulletin 151, 2020: 32-36 SHORT NOTE https://doi.org/10.33256/hb151.32-36 Sea turtles in Lake Bardawil, Egypt - size distribution and population structure BASEM RABIA1 & OMAR ATTUM2* 1Zaranik Protected Area, Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, 30 Cairo-Helwan Agricultural Rd., Maadi, Cairo, Egypt 2Department of Biology, Indiana University Southeast, Life Sciences Building, 4201 Grant Line Rd., New Albany, IN 47150, USA *Corresponding author e-mail: [email protected] Abstract - We investigated the size distribution, sex ratio, and proportion of sexually mature green (Chelonia mydas) and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) turtles in Lake Bardawil, a large coastal lagoon. During the study 30 green turtles (8 males, 4 females, and 18 juveniles / sub-adults) and 14 loggerheads (1 male, 8 females, and 5 sub-adults) were captured. Forty percent of the green and 64 % of loggerhead turtles were believed to be sexually mature. The green turtles had a mean curved carapace length of 65.23 cm (15 – 100 cm range) and the loggerhead turtles 68.79 cm but with a much narrow range (60 - 80 cm) reflecting the absence of juveniles. This study provides evidence that Lake Bardawil is an important feeding and development area for green turtles and feeding area for loggerhead turtles and expands our knowledge of such important sites in the Mediterranean basin. INTRODUCTION ake Bardawil of North Sinai, Egypt has recently been Lrecognised as being a major feeding ground for sea turtles in the Mediterranean Sea (Nada et al., 2013; Rabia & Attum, 2015; Bradshaw et al., 2017). It is known that the majority of post-nesting green turtles (Chelonia mydas) from Cyprus originate from the North Sinai feeding grounds and that these females have high fidelity to their feeding site (Bradshaw et al., 2017).
    [Show full text]