Alexandria, Egypt Coastline by

Blog post 1

2024-09-26 02:42:05 UTC

This blog will be dedicated to an intriguing shoreline west of the Nile Delta. Feel free to come along as we explore the characteristics of the shoreline along one of Egypt’s most populated cities. Named after Alexander the Great the city of Alexandria supports robust industry along the Mediterranean Sea. This affects the characteristics of the city's coastline (the focus of this blog) as industry and a growing population give the coast its own set of unique issues that will be discussed in detail in later posts. For now, we will look at the climate, topography, and basic classifications of this North African coastline.

The climate along the coastline of Alexandria is relatively temperate, especially for its location. This is caused by a prevailing north wind that cools down the region. During the winter months, the climate takes a sharper turn, and the region is known to be influenced by a variety of storms such as torrential rain and hailstorms.

The shoreline is fairly developed, with large buildings and roads along the coast. Along the shoreline, there are onshore jetties.

In further posts, we will be looking at different more ocean-orientated descriptions of our coast, for now, have a good one.

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2024, September 13). Alexandria. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Alexandria-Egypt

Blog post 2

2024-10-08 06:42:33 UTC

This blog post will go over the semidiurnal tide of the coast of Alexandria Egypt. Based on Hayes classification the system is microtidal with an average tide range of under 1m. Along the shoreline there is great variability within the tide ranges. one of the best examples for this is from the Western Harbor and Abu Quir Bay. which has a difference in mean sea level of .43m. The main cause for difference between the sites seems to be the difference in wind distribution. Although there is slight differences in the effects astronomical forces have on the average sea lvl, wind seems to be the driving factor in the differences. In other parts of the coastline the variability in mean sea level over days and months is even more extreme. a good example of this is in the eastern harbor. During the winter months the mean sea level rises to a record high at 34.1 cm, with the peak being in December. While the spring mean sea level fall to 13 cm.

El-Geziry, T. M. (2021). Sea-level, tides and residuals in Alexandria Eastern Harbour, Egypt. Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Research, 47(1), 29–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejar.2020.10.003

El-Geziry, T. M. (2013). General pattern of sea level variation in front of Alexandria (Egypt) and its relationship to the wind pattern. Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Research, 39(3), 133–139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejar.2013.10.002

Blog post 3

2024-10-19 16:54:29 UTC

This blog post will be going over the different wave climates off the coast of Alexandria Egypt. The average wave height in this region is about 0.94 meters. However, this can vary depending on wind conditions and the area along the shore you're in. Wave heights are also seasonal, with waves being much larger during the winter months due to the frequency of storms. During winter, the wind direction usually approaches the shore from the Northwest rather than the typical Northeast direction. When these storms arrive, the maximum wave height can reach 7.72 meters tall, although the average maximum height is 1.82 meters. During the regular season, the winds come in from the northeast, and the water is usually calm, with waves coming about due to swells. These waves break close to shore and cause intense swashes. This wave activity led to the creation of the breakwaters and jetties off the coast to shelter recreational beaches.

Frihy, Omran & Deabes, Essam & Gindy, Ahmed. (2010). Wave Climate and Nearshore Processes on the Mediterranean Coast of Egypt. Journal of Coastal Research - J COASTAL RES. 26. 103-112. 10.2112/08-1020.1.

Blog post 4: sediment

2024-11-05 01:52:14 UTC

In this blog post we will be going over the sediment profile along the shoreline of Alexandria Egypt.

Along most of the western shoreline the area is filled with white calcareous medium fine sand. With the beaches themselves having a very gentle slope.

The sediment of the shoreline is mainly made of carbonate. With a large majority of its makeup being aragonite. The sources of this sediment are calcareous skeletons and inland carbonate ridges.

The sediment deposits for the beach changes slightly over the seasons. With accretion taking place during the summer season, and erosion taking place during the winter season. During the summer season the sediment is more sorted and finer then during the winter seasons.

Organic carbon in the sediment had an average of .33 percent in summer and a .22 percent in winter. It’s theorized that longshore and rip currents remove organic carbon away from the beach.

Overall, despite having seasons of sand being deposited there is a trend of shoreline erosion along the shores of Alexandria.

El Wakeel, S. K., Dogheim, M., Khadr, A., & El Sayed, M. K. H. (2006). Study of coastal sediments, West of Alexandria (El-Agami–Sidi Kreir). Egypt. J. Aquat. Res, 32(1), 105-123.

Blog post 5: Natural problems

2024-11-13 22:55:40 UTC

The main problem along the shoreline of Alexandria is flooding. Flooding is caused mainly not by the shore, but by the inland brackish lake that is nearby to the city. To prevent this lake from flooding there is a system of pumps that pump water out into the sea to prevent the lake from overflowing into the city. This is one of the main factors that could potentially cause flooding in Alexandria. Even worse than this is the threat of tsunamis, earlier in its history in 365 AD an earthquake caused a tsunami that desolated the city and killed thousands. In fact, there are multiple lost city sites off the shoreline of where the now standing city of Alexandria is. Even today Alexandria is still under threat as another strong enough earthquake could cause another tsunami to hit the region. Beach erosion due to wave activity is also an issue in Alexandria and is solved with breakwaters and land nourishment with sediment taken from areas around the Nile.

Abdalmohsen, R. (2023a, September 18). Ancient alexandria is under the waves. does the modern city face the same fate?. Unbias The News. https://unbiasthenews.org/alexandria-layers-of-history-levels-of-risk/#:~:text=The%20Mediterranean%20region%20has%20a,the%20Nile%20Delta%2C%20killing%20thousands.

Blog Post 6: Anthropogenic problems

2024-11-26 18:20:50 UTC

In this blog post we will be going over the human-related or Anthropogenetic issues that effect the coastline of Alexandria. These issues are found throughout the coastline, although some regions suffer more than others. First we will talk about beach erosion. Naturally there is slight beach erosion within the shoreline of Alexandria as covered in other blog post. However these issues are exemplified by human activity. The main natural sediment deposition events such as the flooding of the Nile are halted by climate change and the creation of dams through certain mouths of the Nile. Some of the most important for Alexandria being the Rosetta mouth and Damietta mouth. Both of which have been dammed in certain areas leading to a lack of natural sediment buildup for the shoreline of Alexandria. This results in needing for beaches to be artificially replenished, and the sediment used to be replenished has been shown to erode by 70 percent in 4 years in some areas of the shoreline.

This isn't the only issue however as rising sea level and land subsidence due to poor infrastructure of pipes and the fact the city was built on limestone ridges that is packed with clay and silt from the Nile makes the issues worse.

There is also the issue of pollution from industry and agriculture, Agriculture has lowered the dissolved oxygen in the nearshore zone making it less productive for fisherman and the environmental in general. While industry caused there to be unnaturally large amounts of heavy metals such as mercury in the nearshore zone and within the sediment as well.

All of this is made worse by climate change with rising sea level and more severe storms within the region.

Sinking alexandria faces up to coming catastrophe. (n.d.). https://phys.org/news/2022-11-alexandria-catastrophe.html

Frihy, O. E., Dewidar, K. M., & El Raey, M. M. (1996). Evaluation of coastal problems at Alexandria, Egypt. Ocean & Coastal Management, 30(2–3), 281–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/0964-5691(95)00066-6