EFFECT OF THE NILE FLOOD ON THE ESTUARINE AND COASTAL CIRCULATION PATTERN ALONG THE MEDITERRANEAN EGYPTIAN COAST / L'effet de la crue du Nil sur la circulation d'estuaire et de côte le long du littoral égyptienne de la Méditerranée

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Abstract
Before 1964, 60–180 million tons of sediments and 16 × 109 to 64 × 109 m3 of water were transported yearly to the Mediterranean Sea by the Nile. During the flood period, before the erection of the High Dam, the estuarine circulation pattern was a two-layered flow at the mouths of the two estuaries. In winter, the area was filled with sea water. This latter condition became persistent during most of the year after 1964. The effects of the Nile flood on the water masses before and after 1964 are shown on temperaturesalinity diagrams. The velocities of the currents at the mouths of the branches of the River Nile reached more than four knots at the surface and less than half a knot at the bottom during the flood period before 1964. After 1964 this velocity dropped considerably. Hydrographic surveys before and after the closure of the High Dam indicate that the general oceanographie conditions in the offshore region did not change notably. The only difference between the pre 1964 and post 1964 conditions is that after 1964 no sediment was discharged from the Nile. This produced an imbalance in the near-coast sediment budget, with possible increased erosion along the shore.

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